Stoke OnDemand – the bus (almost) to your door

As part of the expanded eBus network that launched across Nelson-Tasman on Tuesday, Stoke got its very own service: the OnDemand bus. As part of its pre-launch testing on Friday, Local Democracy Reporter Max Frethey had the opportunity to give the service a go.

Just like the name implies, anyone in Stoke can book a ride when needed through the use of the newly available ‘eBus OnDemand’ app.

The app was straightforward to use. To organise a ride, I simply typed in my location and destination (provided it’s somewhere between Saxton Field, Monaco, Marsden Valley, and Beatson Road).

It was a beautiful day, so I thought I’d give myself a break from the laptop screen and used the service to head down to the Monaco Reserve so I could enjoy the sunshine.

Once I booked my ride, the app let me know at which virtual stop I should meet the bus.

Unlike a taxi, the bus can’t meet you outside your house, but it can get pretty close. Pick-ups and drop-offs happen at the nearest virtual stop.

There are at least 200 of these virtual stops scattered across Stoke, generally around 100 metres from each other, ensuring you’ll never have far to walk to meet the bus.

Conveniently, mine was just across the road from my office.

Real-time tracking of the bus in the app, and notifications sent to my phone told me what time the bus would arrive, when it was approaching my stop, when it arrived, and how long it would wait for me.

So, even though the wait could be up to 40 minutes, plenty of notice meant I wasn't left in the dark about where the bus was.

No other members of the public called the bus on my way to the reserve as it was test day, of course. However, passengers don't have to worry about others impacting upon their trip and slowing things down.

The app calculates the most optimal way to pick-up and drop people off in such a way that you won’t arrive later than the time you specified in the app.

When the bus arrived, it stopped just 70 metres from the Reserve, which meant I didn’t have far to walk at all until I got to my destination.

On my ride back to the office, I took the time to check out the other handy features on the app like the ability to book a ride a week in advance, set a trip on repeat if you know you'll make that trip regularly, and specify by what time you need to arrive so you're not late.

The OnDemand bus runs from 9am to 3pm like the Stoke Loop service it’s replacing, but it delivers an expanded reach to all of Stoke and can be used to get a ride to the new interchange and link in with the wider bus network.

“Patronage on the current loop service is steady as it is well used by older adults in Stoke who get free travel with their Super Gold card, but it went to quite a limited number of places,” said Alec Louverdis, Nelson City Council’s group manager infrastructure.

“We expect demand to increase with the new service, in line with what other areas have seen as the new service will provide greater access to a larger number of people by operating where passengers want to travel, rather than on a fixed route that doesn’t reach the entire community.”

Nelson is not the first place in the country to have an on-demand public transport system. It follows similar services in Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Timaru, and Wellington.

“We think this is a concept that is likely to become much more popular,” Louverdis said.

There’s always the potential for the OnDemand model to also be rolled out in Atawhai, Nelson South, or Richmond, if it proves successful in Stoke and there’s sufficient demand elsewhere.

The service costs just $2, before concessions, and with free transfers within an hour, could then be used to travel anywhere else in the Richmond-Nelson urban area for no additional charge.

If you don’t have access to the app, you can always call council’s customer service number at 03 546 0200 to book a ride.