New Aranui bus service to run between New Brighton and The Palms
Environment Canterbury media release: 22nd June 2026
Following strong feedback from the community, Aranui’s new trial bus service will run hourly between New Brighton and The Palms Shopping Centre.
More than 870 submissions were received over a two-week consultation on the trial route’s destination. 64 percent of respondents voted for The Palms as the destination for the new service.
Environment Canterbury voted unanimously in favour of the trial bus service in March 2026, after continued advocacy from the Aranui community.
Community support shapes final destination
Public Transport Core Service Co-Lead Councillor Ashley Campbell said she’s proud of the community for its advocacy.
“I’m excited about how this service will help respond to the community’s needs,” she said.
“The response to our consultation was strong, highlighting how much demand there is for this service and giving us a clear direction on which destination will provide the best opportunity for a successful trial. Thank you to everyone who took the time to let us know their preferred destination,” Cr Campbell said.
How people said they would use the service
- 651 respondents said they would use the service to access shops
- 455 said they would use it to connect to other buses
- 357 said it would provide a closer and more convenient transport option
- 245 said they would use it for health appointments.
Education, work and other more specific needs were also identified as reasons for using the service.
The level of response was similar amongst those who chose either destination, however access to shopping and connections to other services had significantly more support from those that preferred the Palms.
Easy connections to Eastgate and wider Christchurch
Customers will be able to jump on services such as the Orbiter from The Palms to Eastgate Mall, which was the other destination the community was keen to reach.
Councillor Campbell said service will provide better connectivity for that community.
“The service will be aligned with other services, allowing for easy connections to wider Christchurch and the city centre from The Palms. While The Palms has been chosen as the destination, we’ve listened to people’s feedback about also connecting to Eastgate. Our public transport team will work with the community to make sure they know where the bus stops are and how to then transfer to a connecting bus for free,” she said.
Service details being finalised
Staff are working with Christchurch City Council and Kinetic to finalise details for the new service, including its timetable and planned stops.
The 12-month trial service will begin later this year.