MyWay’s evening hours extended

MyWay’s trial of later night services on Fridays and Saturdays has been extended until the end of June.  

The trial was set to finish in April but has been continued so the community can benefit for longer while more data is gathered. 

So far, around 800 rides have been completed on the late-night service, which runs until 9PM on Fridays and Saturdays. On average, 23 rides are taken on Friday evenings, and 47 on Saturday evenings. Previously, the service ran until 7PM on Fridays and 6PM on Saturdays. 

“We’re pleased to be able to offer this additional service of later night rides, to our Timaru community – we would like to see even more people make the most of it over the next two months,” public transport general manager Stewart Gibbon said. 

“Extending the trial until the end of June enables us to continue through the colder months and gives us a better idea of its demand in different seasons,” he said. 

The later night service, which began on 26 January, followed a survey held in October 2023 to understand the level of community interest in this. Of the 600 responses, 87% said they may use the service and 52% said they might use it each weekend.  

“While it’s had a positive reception, we do want to caution this is a trial and we want to see patronage continue to rise to prove the late-night service’s viability long-term,” Stewart said. 

“We know some customers would like MyWay to run even later on the weekends, but this is not viable with current patronage numbers,” he added.  

Bookings can be made on the MyWay by Metro app or by calling 03 688 5544.