David Welch analysis over here at NZ In Tranzit.
My suggestions:
The map below suggests replacing the current routes with new ones that are somewhat fewer in number, but retaining the central bus exchange concept with routes radiating out like spokes from it. The map shows 26 single ended routes, based on the premise that most people would live within, at most, 600 metres straight-line of a route. I think that is quite a reasonable spacing. These routes are concepts only – I don’t know how workable they are in practice and therefore a lot more work would be needed to produce something that works out. However when you look at the fact that our current route arrangements put a lot of buses down a handful of arterials before they spread out – then it looks like an odd way of covering the city.
These routes should be maintained with a frequency of at least 30 minutes in daytime – more often at peaks if needed, all week and weekends, going to hourly later in the evenings.
There may be scope for a few suburban hubs where a number of routes cross over and therefore where people might be transferring between routes reasonably often.
Note this does not show an Orbiter route – I am a great fan of the Orbiter and advocate keeping it in its current form. However I would like to suggest maybe there is scope for two Orbiter routes at different radii from the city centre.
View CST Chch Buses in a larger map
