The Local - Mt VictoriaWellington’s councils are about to start consulting on changes to infrastructure along the number 2 bus route. Jane O’Loughlin reports.
Mt Victoria will lose one bus stop and see alterations to bus stops and intersections as part of a programme to accommodate longer buses on the number 2 bus route.
The Eastern Bus Corridor improvements project will propose changes aimed at improving efficiency of buses between Courtenay Place and Miramar on the popular route 2 bus service, which goes through Mt Victoria.
In Mt Victoria, the proposal would see the city-bound stop at the top of Pirie St removed, and changes to the kerbs and traffic island at the Pirie/Brougham intersection, along with the installation of a pedestrian crossing on the western leg of Pirie Street.
According to the Wellington City Council, the proposed corridor improvements will include “making some stops longer, removing or consolidating some stops to improve bus stop spacing and reduce journey times, and some bus shelter changes.”
The councils want to accommodate the longer articulated (or ‘bendy’ buses) for the route because double decker buses can’t go through the Karori tunnel.
Greater Wellington announced last year that bus operator Kinetic had agreed to procure five Electric articulated vehicles for route 2, which would arrive in early 2027.
Wellington City Councillor Nicola Young was one of a group of councillors that recently took a trip along the route on an articulated bus borrowed from Auckland.
Nicola said she was impressed with the articulated bus: “It was comfortable, even when going around some of the very bendy corners.”
She said local concerns had been taken into account in the proposal for infrastructure changes.
“It's highly likely that the Brougham Street bus stops (near Elizabeth Street) will remain, although will probably be slightly altered to accommodate the longer buses. The city-bound stop at the top of Pirie Street will be removed, largely for safety reasons as it’s too close to the Mt Victoria Tunnel and abuts a concrete embankment.
“The pedestrian safety island on the Brougham/Pirie streets intersection will remain - a big relief for pedestrians, as it’s a tricky crossing.”
While the changes are being put in place to help manage increased demand, a recent briefing to the Wellington Regional Council found bus usage had only increased slightly, and peak hour usage had decreased over recent years.
A report to the public transport committee in March found that bus patronage is now above 2019 levels, but plateaued in 2024 and 2025, and had recently declined.
Across the Wellington region, bus travel demand has shifted from peak to off-peak, reflecting more flexible and non-work-related public transport travel (including after-school travel from 3pm to 4pm). Population growth was also less than previously estimated and expected to grow even more slowly over the next five years.
Public consultation on the corridor changes will take place from 19 May to 14 June 2026. The feedback will go to the Wellington City Council Regulatory Processes Committee for a decision. Construction is anticipated to take up to 12 months.
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