After many months of construction, the $49 million Manukau Bus Station opened to much fanfare.
Along with Auckland Mayor Phil Goff and Minister of Transport Phil Tywford, the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board were on hand to celebrate the official opening of the project on April 7.
Board chair Lotu Fuli says the board are pleased to see this project finally come to fruition and see all the benefits that will be reaped for south Aucklanders from having such a top-quality facility.
"The local board is excited to see this state-of-the-art bus station opening in Manukau. This bus station will ensure better connections for our people and make Manukau an even more desirable place to live, study, work, play and invest,” she says.
“And what has been so good about this project is that it’s not only providing better transport connections, but it has also connected young people to careers in the trades by providing employment for graduates from the South Auckland Māori and Pasifika Trades Training organisation."
"We are excited about further opportunities that we as Council can leverage for our locals through social procurement on similar future projects."
Local bus services that will use the Manukau Bus Station include the 380 Airporter, relocating from its current place in front of Manukau's Westfield Mall.
Funded by Auckland Council and the NZ Transport Agency, the total construction and property costs amounted to $49 million.
The 23-bay bus station fills in a missing link for public transport in Manukau, providing easy bus-to-bus and bus-to-train connections and serving as a gateway for the south.
Compared to last year's figures, public transport patronage at Manukau Train Station has increased by 35 per cent in the last 12 months (February 2017 to January 2018) with a total of 487,996 passengers using the train station.
