Route 7 frequency increase causing increase in patronage too

It’s not just the frequency that’s increased on Metro’s Route 7 Halswell to Queenspark service, but also now the patronage.

In April the route switched to running every 10 minutes from 5.30AM to 6.30PM on weekdays and every 15 minutes outside of those hours, and on weekends. 

Since making the switch, for the period May to October 2025 (the period immediately following the change) there’s been patronage growth of 7% when compared to the same period in 2024.

Almost 120,000 passenger trips were recorded on the route in October 2025.

We want to thank our customers who have embraced this service improvement. We appreciate your ongoing support for our Metro network. We are also thankful for central government’s investment in this upgrade.

The improvement was funded by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and through our 2024–34 Long-Term Plan.

Route 7 has become particularly popular in recent years with increases in patronage causing capacity issues on board at peak times. Its popularity comes down to the route servicing several areas of high growth such as Halswell and the central city, people returning to their regular commuting routines post-lockdowns, and the flat-fare trial.

Five new electric buses were added to our fleet to service the frequency increase; these also have real-time information available on board, providing a better experience for our customers. 

The change to Route 7 is part of a larger collaborative project to improve public transport that includes additional infrastructure delivered by our partners Christchurch City Council and NZTA. This includes bus stop upgrades, a new bus parking space and continuous bus priority lanes on Halswell Road between Dunbars Road and Moorhouse Avenue. 

Thank you to our customers for their patience as our partners work to deliver these infrastructure upgrades. We’re looking forward to completing these improvements and reviewing the rest of our network in the coming year.