It showed nearly half the number of people travelled by bus in Queenstown in December last year, as did in the corresponding month in 2019. Bus use fell by more than 20% in July and August, when bus fares were free, compared with the previous year. In Dunedin, bus use was up 32% in July and 18% August when bus fares were free, compared with the previous year. Across Queenstown and Dunedin, 601 complaints were received between November last year and February this year. About three-quarters of those were about the Dunedin bus service and the majority were about the timeliness of buses.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 12, 2021 15:22 UTC