Subscribe to RSSThe Outer Limits
Just after a week on from the introduction of the new LINK bus services and I’m enjoying them.
- The three services are visually distinctive with their coloured branding so are easily identifiable when looking for one
- The smart branding and frequency of spotting them especially in the inner city creates an impression of a modern city bustling with public transport
- The Outer LINK is at last providing an easy to understand cross-town service away from the thinking that all services must come into the CBD and you then transfer to another bus at Symonds or one of the near Queen St stops.
- The new approach is for services based on maximum wait times rather than timetabled, which I have no problem with although not everyone seems happy about it. It does mean you can get stuck at a bus stop for a while while the driver plays catch up but that happened with the original green LINK service.
- The changes in route to the green and free bus especially avoiding busy Victoria St is an improvement.
Your thoughts?
6 Comments
Though I haven’t yet tried it, I’m curious about the whole Outer Link circuit - I’ve only used it in town so far, but one day I’d like to ride the whole circuit.
I picked up this blog following on rail developments sometime ago n absolutely love reading stuff here…Back to topic, i tried the new Inner City Link n absolutely loved it..totally agree they r visually very distinctive n easy to locate..While at Broadway, i located one that was as far as say on Manukau road somewhere amid all peak hour traffic..plus the inter-connectivity is real good between all three..Absolutely loved the info kiosks inside n audio announcements, subtle and very informative all through n with gps tagging even a complete outsider can work their way around once inside to see where its heading n whr to connect with other services. Felt like different city altogether…
I’ve ridden the whole circuit on the first day it ran. Did notice that it was held at major stops for a while — possibly because it was running too far ahead of schedule or something. Took around 1h20m. I’ve used it a few times (between Greenlane and Mt Albert) and it’s been good. Only thing I don’t like is the route via Mt Eden rather than just continiuning along Balmoral Road.
I live on Pitt Street, and am utterly amazed at the frequency of the City Link buses now that they run up Greys and Pitt, with a stop at the top of Greys and outside the church on Pitt. I quiet often take a bus up or down Queen St when I’m feeling too lazy to walk, so while I haven’t used them yet, I certainly will, especially with a 30m walk to a stop from home.
This does mean increased noise as the buses accelerate out of Greys, but as I’m a night owl it’s not a problem for me, I just hope these new buses stay in good repair and don’t end up as loud and rickety as some in the fleet.
The coloured livery is a good idea but if they are going to cover it with crappy advertising like the other buses it’s a waste of time. All over advertising makes even a new vehicle look scruffy but unfortunately judging by the photo above the operator is going to pursue their usual scruffy look and make the unique livery idea which is a good idea a farce.
Difficult to tell a NZ Bus vehicle from Ritchies these days but pleasing to see Birkenhead resist the temptation. Even though their livery is not the best colour scheme out they always look clean and smart.
Mobile bill boards are little better than tagging and bombing
Loving the Outer link via Mt Eden village, makes the journey to work in Greenlane a stressless one …. even with the waits a major stops the overall journey length is shorter than into CBD & out again on sardine like 277′s….