You will save money, get back some ‘me time’ and be one less car on the road.  

Taking the bus is a great alternative to the car. Here are some of the reasons why:

• • We’ve been asking bus users what they enjoy about the bus, and overwhelmingly people have said they enjoy the ‘downtime’ without worrying about finding and paying for parking. Passengers catch up on social media, school work, watch on demand TV, chat with other passengers or just sit back and relax.
  • Finding and paying for parking is a hassle if you work in the city. Most people can’t find a park, much less a free park, near their work and spend time driving around getting frustrated. As the Dunedin population grows and the centre looks set to change, for example with the hospital being rebuilt, there is potential for the centre to become more congested.
  • Many of the Orbus routes are well-used, particularly during peak travel periods. With 23 routes operating at any time that’s significantly fewer cars on the road, making a huge difference to congestion in our beautiful city, and to carbon emissions.
  • On the whole, you will also pay less to catch a bus using a bus card than taking your car, plus there are a number of concessions that make it cheaper for people to travel by bus.
  • Not only are buses more socially and environmentally friendly than cars but they are a great travel mode for kids. Bus users told us their children enjoy the bus, they like chatting with the driver and other people on the bus, and for older kids, travelling alone on the bus fosters independence.
  • Buses often contribute to more active lifestyles. While people park by their front door, many bus users walk to a nearby stop or from the stop to their destination, adding a little activity into the day.

The new year is a great time to make changes, even small ones. Get yourself a bus card and start catching the bus. Even catching the bus once a week will benefit you and everyone around you.

Choose your favourite driver for December and January

It’s been great to see people nominate and compliment Orbus drivers in recent weeks.

We have combined December and January for the Driver of the Month as there were fewer people catching the bus over the holiday period.

It’s your final week to nominate. Go to Facebook or to yoursay.orc.govt.nz/OrbusDriverDJ or call the 0800 number to let us know who has been a great driver, and why.