Four electric double decker buses will be added to the Rolleston to Christchurch City Direct route within the next year at a cost of $800,000 a year to run.
The new buses, expected to arrive in the first half of 2027, will grow Metro’s electric fleet to 75 vehicles and almost double capacity on a popular route in high demand.
ECan councillor and public transport spokesperson Joe Davies said the service will be entirely locally funded, using money from a targeted rate established in 2025 following public consultation.
There were other overcrowded services like route 1 Rangiora/Belfast to Cashmere and route 5 Rangiora/Hornby to New Brighton that ECan wanted to improve capacity on, but it wanted central government to help fund that effort, he said.
ECan committed to increasing capacity on the Rolleston direct route last year as part of the 2025/26 annual plan. Each new double decker would almost double the number of people who could be carried by bus without adding an extra vehicle to the road, for a total of 95 people including 14 standing.
The Rolleston direct service itself is a trial with funding earmarked until mid-2027, but may be extended or made permanent during next year’s long-term plan process.
In the meantime, ECan’s first electric double decker bus, introduced earlier this year, has moved on from its trial on route 7 and has begun travelling on route 1 between Belfast and Cashmere.
Published in The Press 26 September 2026
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