This is my first real use of the Busway this month, and involved a return trip to an address near Constellation.

Busway services were excellent, but I hit one snag.

My journey originated from my regular Northcote client, and there is no bus connection between Birkenhead Transport’s services and the busway unless you cross the Harbour Bridge – twice.

And for non monthly pass users that’s crossing a two-stage boundary – twice.

Instead I hitched a ride with a teacher and friend of mine to Akoranga Station on her way home and continued from there.

There was originally a plan to make use of the service tunnel under the motorway where the toll plazas once stood, to provide a bus station there for transfers with Birkenhead services, with platforms on opposite sides of the motorway linked by the pedestrian tunnel.

The locals for some inexplicable reason got all NIMBY and the station was cancelled. They did not want a scruffy bus station in their neighbourhood. (That the busway stations are anything but scruffy and have been a phenomenal success seems to be beside the point?)

A shame, because it really lets the services on the southwestern North Shore down. Their only link is an infrequent and indirect bus to Takapuna, which has a poor busway “link” of a 400m walk from its nearest point to Smales Farm Station.

(edited 6:48am Tuesday October 20, added extra details, plus a hit/miss section)

Today my partner had to go to town as she was on a training course at the Hotel Grand Chancellor at the bottom of Hobson St. So we parked and rode from Baldwin Ave Station. We wnted to allow for bad traffic and ended up catching the train before the one we wanted, and arrived in town half an hour early.

I then carried on to my regular client school in Northcote, but before I did so I thought I’d check out when the November Monthly Discovery passes are available and have a look at the Cityhop cars in the Downtown carpark.

Turns out the monthly pass isn’t available til about eight days before the end of the month, so I’ll have to return to pick it up later. So I had a look at the hire cars. I was a little surprised to see just two, I was expecting more. Anyway, one of each were there on display. Here they are (click for bigger):

I did notice a discrepancy between the price per hour on the car and the sign (both visible in the pics) and the website – $12 per hour vs $15 per hour.

Anyway, today’s travel was good, if unspectacular, the only little amusing point was when the Birkenhead bus driver asked me where she’s supposed to clip when I handed her my Discovery day pass on the trip back into town. My partner and I met back up in town for the trip home, where she noted it would have been a nice walk (and a good exercise) home from the station.

Hit/Miss: Hit! Less than three minutes waiting for anything, connections were smooth, and we were early.

Steps: (oops, forgot the pedometer)