Rural Bus Manawatū
In 2021 Neighbourhood Support Manawatū began supporting a project to establish a rural community transport in the District.
Led by our former General Manager, and later Chairperson, Aly Thompson, this involved acting as a fund-holder, running market research, and facilitating a steering committee.
Support for the initiative has continued until 2024, when Rural Bus Manawatū was established and the service launched.
For more information, click the Rural Bus Manawatū logo below to visit the website.
About the service
- 12-seater van with luggage trailer
- On-demand service for Manawatū District residents, Monday-Friday
- Door-to-door service from anywhere in Manawatū to any location in Feilding
- Up to 4 passengers travelling from a single pick-up address pay 1 fare!
Anything! There are no rules about what you can and can’t use the service for. Most of our survey respondents stated they would use it to attend medical / health appointments or go to the supermarket, pharmacy, other shopping, and cafes / eateries.
Prices are for a return trip based on the distance from the pick-up location to Feilding:
- Up to 10km $10
- 11-30km $25
- 31km+ $30
73% of survey respondents stated that a rural community transport service would enable them to stay living rurally for longer.
Their reasons for needing a service included increasing age, loss of driving ability due to health, dependency on spouses or other household members for transport, isolation for children, maintaining independence, increasing petrol costs, no vehicle access and environmental considerations.
High costs of housing in town centres prevents many residents from relocating, while others simply stated a preference for rural living and a lack of desire to move.