Thousands back a more frequent and connected Metro network

People across Christchurch and urban Selwyn and Waimakariri want a public transport network that is more frequent, better connected and reaches more communities.

The findings come from the Metro bus and ferry network review consultation To Bus or Not to Bus?, which ran in May and June this year and attracted feedback from around 11,000 people and 41 organisations and community groups.

People want to use public transport

Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) public transport lead Councillor Joe Davies says one of the clearest messages from the engagement was that people want to use public transport more.

“Nearly eight in 10 participants told us they would use Metro more often if services better met their needs. People want a network that helps them get where they need to go, when they need to be there, without relying on a car for every journey.”

Respondents identified more frequent services, wider network coverage, improved connections, and faster trips as the most important improvements.

The findings reinforce themes consistently identified through community engagement and research over recent years.

Councillor Davies says, “Greater Christchurch continues to grow significantly, and the way people travel has changed. The community is telling us that public transport improvements have not kept pace with that growth."

Feedback highlighted gaps in access to services in growing communities including Halswell, Rolleston, Belfast, Yaldhurst, West Melton and Lincoln. People also identified the central city, Airport/Russley, Christchurch Hospital and Hornby/Islington as among the most difficult destinations to reach by public transport.

The review also confirmed the importance of Metro's core routes – the Orbiter and Routes 1 Rangiora-Cashmere, 3 Airport-Sumner, 5 Rolleston-New Brighton and 7 Halswell-Queenspark – which carry most existing patronage and remain critical to supporting future network growth.

Balancing network improvements with available funding

Councillor Davies says the results highlight both the community's ambitions for public transport and the scale of investment needed to achieve them.

“The feedback gives us a clear picture of the kind of network our communities want. The challenge now is balancing that aspiration with what can realistically be funded and delivered.

"Communities have told us they want both broader coverage and frequent services. To be a useful option, new or extended services need to meet a minimum level of frequency and operating hours. That takes significant investment. We can’t do everything at once, so we’ll need to prioritise and stage improvements over time, balancing stronger services on busy routes with targeted improvements in growth areas and underserved communities.

"Central government funding will be critical to what's possible. These findings provide valuable evidence of community demand and will help inform future investment discussions.”

What happens next

This engagement is an important first step, providing valuable evidence of community priorities. The engagement findings will now be combined with technical analysis and other planning information to develop a recommended future network and, ultimately, a range of investment options.

“While the feedback gives us a clear direction, the scale and pace of improvements will depend on affordability, available funding, and regional transport priorities," says Councillor Davies.

The community is expected to have another opportunity to have a say through the Long-Term Plan 2027-37 process in early 2027.