Hospital bus service welcomed

A bus service going directly from the Hutt Valley to Wellington Hospital will be welcome news for many Hutt outpatients and those with relatives and friends in Wellington hospital.

The service is part of Metlink – Greater Wellington’s public transport network. The no.83 bus, which currently runs from Eastbourne to Courtenay Place, will extend the route on to Wellington Hospital from Monday 11 February.

Peter Glensor, chairman of Hutt Valley District Health Board (HVDHB) and deputy chair of Greater Wellington, said the new service would be music to the ears of many Hutt people who had to travel to Wellington Hospital.

“A visit to hospital can be stressful enough without having to drive in busy traffic and pay dearly for parking. A taxi fare from the Hutt to Wellington Hospital is exorbitant for many people. But this new service will cost only $10 for a return trip from anywhere in the Hutt Valley, and is even cheaper for senior passengers after 9am.

“The option of a bus that takes people directly from the Hutt Valley, without having to change at Wellington, will make it easier for people to choose public transport rather than get in their car and add to the traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.”

Matthew Lear, general manager of Valley Flyer, the company that operates the no.83 bus, said his company always tried to improve its services. “We hope that the new service will prove popular once Hutt Valley people discover how convenient and cheap it will make travel to Wellington Hospital.”

Mr Glensor said that as Chair of the HVDHB he had fought very hard for a service for Hutt people direct to Wellington Hospital’s front door. “Wellington Hospital is very important to Hutt Valley people. Thousands of Hutt people have outpatient appointments at Wellington Hospital every year and, for older people particularly, it has been very difficult to get there. This offers a cheap, reliable means of transport for people using the hospital’s services or visiting patients there.

He urged Hutt Valley people to make the most of the service. “This is a four-month trial, so we have to use it, otherwise we lose it.”