Printed from https://fyi.org.nz/request/9841-information-about-bus-capacities on October 31, 2025 11:59

Information about bus capacities

Hugh Davenport made this Official Information request to Wellington Regional Council

The request was partially successful.

From: Hugh Davenport

Dear Wellington Regional Council,

Attention Margaret Meek

I was on a bus this morning, that was so full it was refusing to pick up passengers (very unusual isn't it!). It was a single decker, bus number 3421 (route 17e, arrived at stop 7718 around 8:42am this morning). I noticed that there was 17 standing passengers, right the way back to the upper deck (which I believe isn't how it is designed). So that was 17 passengers taking up all possible standing room.

I then noticed the placard that said the bus supports 32 standing passengers. I would like to request the following based on that information for all types of buses that operate under the Metlink brand.

- Configuration of standing passengers shown on a top down layout of the bus showing the maximum supported 32 passengers standing, and 43 passengers seated. This should take into account say the average size of an adult human, including legs sticking out from the seats into possible standing area, and ability for standing passengers to hold some support while the bus moves.

If there is no such configuration, or GWRC have to generate this data (ie, they did not have it before this request), then I would like to request whether those numbers are used for the maximum capacity of the bus network, even if it is not possible. I would then like to request what Metlink are doing to make sure they have the capacity that they thought they had but didn't.

Yours faithfully,

Hugh Davenport

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From: Sam Horsefield
Wellington Regional Council

Dear Hugh,

 

Acknowledgement of Request for Information under the Local Government
Official Information and Meetings Act 1987

 

Thank you for your email dated 13 March 2019, requesting information
regarding bus capacities.

 

Your request is being followed-up and a reply will be sent to you within
20 working days of the request being received.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Sam Horsefield

 

 

for

Luke Troy

General
Manager                                                                            

Strategy

Greater Wellington Regional Council

 

 

ATTENTION: This correspondence is confidential and intended for the named
recipient(s) only. If you are not the named recipient and receive this
correspondence in error, you must not copy, distribute or take any action
in reliance on it and you should delete it from your system and notify the
sender immediately. Unless otherwise stated, any views or opinions
expressed are solely those of the author, and do not represent those of
the organisation.

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Hugh Davenport left an annotation ()

They've added clarification from https://fyi.org.nz/request/9863-informat...

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Hugh Davenport left an annotation ()

This has been extended to 31 May 2019 under section 14(1)(a) of the LGOIMA.

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Hugh Davenport left an annotation ()

Unsure whether this has been extended, they haven't given which ones exactly...

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Hugh Davenport left an annotation ()

This one is withdrawn, the update listed above is extended.

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From: Nichola Powell
Wellington Regional Council

Attachment OIA 2019 093 Hugh Davenport response.pdf
56K Download View as HTML

Dear Mr Davenport

Attached is our response to your OIA 2019-093.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Nichola

 

Nichola Powell | Executive Assistant to General Manager Public Transport
 
GREATER WELLINGTON REGIONAL COUNCIL
Te Pane Matua Taiao
Level 2, 15 Walter Street

PO Box 11646, Manners St, Wellington 6142
T: 04 830 4179 | www.gw.govt.nz | www.metlink.org.nz

 

ATTENTION: This correspondence is confidential and intended for the named
recipient(s) only. If you are not the named recipient and receive this
correspondence in error, you must not copy, distribute or take any action
in reliance on it and you should delete it from your system and notify the
sender immediately. Unless otherwise stated, any views or opinions
expressed are solely those of the author, and do not represent those of
the organisation.

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Things to do with this request

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