InterCity, New Zealand’s only national bus network resumed limited services yesterday (May 28), providing long awaited transport options for hundreds of thousands of Kiwis.

However, due to physical distancing measures, the bus company has had to reduce seating capacity, meaning they may run at a loss.

Services will resume to most major towns and communities in the national network but connections to some communities will not be possible under the limited restart.

Te Anau is one of the stops being dropped from the bus company’s network in the south, along with the West Coast and Central Otago.

InterCity CEO, John Thorburn, said the company was unable to continue operating loss-making services over the long term. However, discussions were underway with the Government and the company was hopeful that would enable sustained operations and the re-expansion of the network.

“We’ve taken the decision to restart, even though it will be at a loss, while we continue to discuss support from Government,” he said.

Dropping Te Anau from the InterCity network has left some students, who travel daily from Te Anau to Mararoa School at The Key, without bus transport to the school.

Mararoa School Board of Trustees chairman, James MacMillan-Armstrong, said seven students who travelled from Te Anau relied on the bus service for student transport prior to COVID-19 travel restrictions, leaving the parents with the dilemma of finding a suitable alternative.

While seven students might not seem a significant number, in terms of the rural school’s student numbers it could make the difference between being able to fund salaries for two or three teachers, if a suitable solution could be found, Mr MacMillan-Armstrong said.

An InterCity spokesperson said they had provided detailed information to the government relating to the services on the West Coast and Te Anau, and that they would continue to advocate for ongoing support and an expansion of services. The bus company understood the important role they played in connecting local communities and they hoped to be able to resume services soon.