Public transport in the Manawatū-Whanganui Region

The Manawatū-Whanganui Region is currently served by a sparsely-developed public transport system but is beginning to see some new developments.

Public transport in the region is primarily provided by bus services that are managed by the regional council (which operates under the name Horizons Regional Council).^[1]

Passenger rail is limited, but the region is served by some services. The Capital Connection links the city of Palmerston North, as well as the towns of Shannon and Levin, to the Wellington Region. The train runs daily as a single morning commuter service into Wellington, before operating a return service in the afternoon. Additionally, the Northern Explorer stops in Palmerston North and Taumarunui six-times-a-week (three in each direction) while travelling between Auckland and Wellington.^[2] Taumarunui had previously been removed as a regular scheduled stop in 2012, but was reintroduced in 2022 after extensive lobbying from locals.^[3]

The region is unique in New Zealand for having an elevator as a public transport mode. The Durie Hill Elevator, in the city of Whanganui, provides access between the city centre and the suburb of Durie Hill and has been operating since 1919.^[4][5]

As the region consists of two cities as well as numerous towns and rural areas, bus services operate as part of three distinct networks that interconnect. An urban network serves Palmerston North (as well as Fielding) while another separate urban network serves Whanganui. A network of regional bus services connect the two cities to each other as well as the wider region.^[6]

The Whanganui urban bus network consists of ten routes which converge on the city centre where multiple routes run parallel along a common corridor. For the last few decades, the city has had a bus network focused on coverage with a large number of low-frequency bus routes aimed at providing service coverage to most areas. As a result, most routes are infrequent and only operate every two hours. However, in 2023, the city saw the introduction of a high-frequency bus route focused on patronage and moving large passenger numbers. The route, named Te Ngaru The Tide, runs on 20-minute frequencies between Castlecliff and Aramoho via the city centre bus corridor. In its first month of operation, the city saw an 86 percent increase in urban public transport trips when compared to the same month in the previous year.^{[7][8][9][6][10]}