Electric bus to be introduced into regional Waikato in 2023

New Zealand family-owned bus and coach company Tranzit has been awarded the Waikato Regional Council’s contract to provide public transport services in Taupō and Tokoroa.

This new contract with the council begins on Monday, 31 October 2022 and is initially for nine years. It will see Tranzit provide seven vehicles, including one single deck electric bus that will be introduced into the region in 2023.

Jenna Snelgrove, Tranzit’s General Manager of Bus and Coach said Tranzit is extremely excited to partner with Waikato Regional Council for the first time.

“Tranzit is very excited to partner with Waikato Regional Council and we are looking forward to helping grow bus patronage in the Taupō and Tokoroa townships,” she said.

“As leaders in electric buses, we are also thrilled to be introducing the first electric bus into this part of regional New Zealand.”

Under the new contract, Tranzit will deliver Taupō Connector, Connect2Taupō, and South Waikato Connector (Tokoroa and District routes) services using Euro 6 vehicles, the most environmentally friendly diesel buses available. In addition, these will be low floor vehicles providing easy access for people in wheelchairs or using walking frames.

Mark Tamura, the council’s Regional Transport Connections Director, said the rollout of the region’s first electric bus was an exciting step towards a zero emissions public transport fleet.  

“We know there is an urgent need to act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the worst impacts of climate change. That’s why, in September, we confirmed our commitment to reducing transport emissions. But it will take time.

“The investment in zero emission vehicles is expected to be phased in as part of tendering for new public transport contracts from 2023 onwards. Introducing an electric bus to the fleet in the Waikato region is one small, but significant first step on our journey to becoming at least carbon neutral,” Mr Tamura said.

Passengers in Tokoroa and Taupō will experience some improvements to their existing bus services as part of this contract change.

• In Tokoroa, minor route changes have been incorporated to cover more of the town. The timetable has been updated accordingly.
• In Taupō, the existing Central and West routes have been joined to form one service from Wharewaka to Nukuhau, via town. This removes the confusing loops in the town centre and means passengers wanting to travel north/south won’t need to change bus in town. This will be known as the Taupō Connector. There is a still a school assist service.
• The existing Taupō North route will now become the Wairakei route, one of five under the new Connect2Taupō service.
• Connect2Taupō is a smaller bus, and will provide public transport for residents in Turangi, Acacia Bay and Kinloch for the first time.
• The existing Mangakino to Tokoroa/Taupō route will also fall under this service, with residents now able to travel more frequently. People in Tokoroa will now be able to travel to Taupō as well.

While Tranzit may be a new name in South Waikato, they have a long and proud history as a fourth-generation, family-owned, New Zealand business. They already have an established team operating school bus services for the Taupō Transport Network Group and operate Cross Country Rentals in Hamilton, providing special education transport under contract to Ministry of Education. Tranzit is also a major shareholder in Entrada Group and operate the InterCity services throughout the North Island.

Tranzit also is committed to a sustainable future and currently operates a growing fleet of electric buses and charging infrastructure. This currently includes 29 double deck electric buses in Wellington and one single deck electric bus in both Auckland and Palmerston North.

In a Southern Hemisphere first in 2021, Tranzit also successfully converted a diesel double deck bus to 100% electric. This bus now delivers public transport services in Wellington, but in July visited Taupō and Hamilton enroute to Auckland, where it did a series of trials on Auckland’s dedicated bus way and inner-city routes.

New Taupō Connector bus.