Bus Lanes on Customhouse Quay, Jervois Quay, Wakefield Street, and Cable Street
We are proposing to install one bus lane in the north direction and one bus lane in the south direction. These bus lanes will operate Monday to Friday, between the hours of 6:30am to 9:30am in the morning, and 3:30pm to 6:30pm in the afternoon, giving buses priority when roads are busiest. Outside these hours, the lanes would be open to all traffic.
This will reduce vehicle lanes to 2 northbound lanes and 2 southbound lanes during these peak hours.
People on bikes, as well as emergency vehicles, will still be able to use the bus lanes during the hours they are in operation.
Clear signage and road markings will show when the lanes are operational.
Services planned to run along the Harbour Quays
If approved, the new bus corridor would initially be used by existing express services, including:
- The Airport Express (AX)
- Peak-hour services that currently end at Brandon Street (these would be extended to Kent and Cambridge Terraces)
- Express buses to and from the eastern suburbs
Existing express services proposed to run along the new waterfront bus corridor include:
30X – Moa Point / Scorching Bay
31X – Miramar North
32X – Houghton Bay
38X – Strathmore Park
HX – Wellington Hospital
AX – Airport
Peak-only services from Brandon Street that may be extended include:
13 – Mairangi
26 – Khandallah
33 – Karori South
34 – Karori West
37 – Wrights Hill
Potential all-day service:
24 – Maupuia to Johnsonville
Cambridge Terrace stop
At Cambridge Terrace by Haka House, the proposed northbound changes include:
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Install a bus stop with space for 3 buses, with seating
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Install real time displays for buses
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Remove 8 metered car parks
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Restrict existing loading zone hours to 9am-3pm and tour bus/coach parking for other hours
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Install 1 P10 loading zone for 10m of the rear bus stop during off peak hours
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Extend kerb at Haka House to get bus clearance from building canopy
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Install 7m of accessible kerb that allows buses to pull in closer.
Kent Terrace stop
At Kent Terrace by Anytime Fitness, the proposed southbound changes include:
- Install a bus stop with space for 3 buses, with seating
- Install real time displays for buses
- Remove existing loading zone and relocate south 15m and restrict to off-peak hours.
- Remove 6 metered car parks
- Remove 3 taxi stand parks
- Remove 1 school bus park
- Install 7m of accessible kerb that allows buses to pull in closer.
Te Papa stop
At Te Papa Museum, the proposed southbound changes include:
- Install a bus stop with space for 3 buses, with a shelter and seating
- Install real time displays for buses
- Install 7m of accessible kerb that allows buses to pull in closer.
Tākina stop
At Tākina, the proposed northbound changes include:
- Install a bus stop with space for 3 buses, with a shelter and seating
- Install real time displays for buses
- Remove 7 metered car parks from Wakefield Street outside The Lanes
- Install 1 off-peak loading zone at the rear 10m of the bus stop
- Install 7m of accessible kerb that allows buses to pull in closer.
Te Ngākau Civic Precinct stop
At Te Ngākau Civic Precinct, the northbound changes include:
- Install a bus stop with space for 3 buses, with seating
- Install real time displays for buses
- Install 7m of accessible kerb that allows buses to pull in closer
- Relocate existing lighting 1m back from kerb.
Frank Kitts Park stop
At Frank Kitts Park, the southbound changes include:
- Install a bus stop with space for 2 buses, with a shelter and seating
- Install real time displays for buses
- Install 7m of accessible kerb that allows buses to pull in closer
- Extend kerb to improve pedestrian access through footpath.
Post Office Square stop
At Post Office Square, the northbound changes include:
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Install a bus stop with space for 3 buses, with a bus shelter and seating
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Install real time displays for buses
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Remove a small amount of vegetation for the bus shelter
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Install 7m of accessible kerb that allows buses to pull in closer.
TSB Arena stop
At TSB Arena, the southbound changes include:
- Install a bus stop with space for 3 buses, with a bus shelter and seating
- Install real time displays for buses
- Removing two metered parking spaces in the TSB Arena service lane to create a clear pedestrian walkway through the carpark.
- Extend footpath kerb to improve pedestrian connection to the crossing at Hunter Street
- Remove a small amount of vegetation to clear space for new bus shelter
- Install 7m of accessible kerb that allows buses to pull in closer.
- Shortening the loading zone to make space for a new pedestrian crossing.
- Relocating a mobility parking space so a crossing area can be installed between the carpark and Wellington Museum
Customhouse Quay (near Ballance Street)
On Customhouse Quay, near Ballance Street, the proposed northbound changes include:
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Install a bus stop with space for 3 buses, with a bus shelter and seating (outside Kākāriki Coffee)
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Install real time displays for buses
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Close the left hand turn for vehicles into Ballance Street
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Remove 8 metered carparks from Customhouse Quay
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Remove 3 metered car parks from Ballance Street to make space for vehicles to turn around
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Install a part time P10 loading zone in the rear 10m of the bus stop for off peak hours and weekends
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Extend the footpath from Kākāriki café to Ballance Street to improve pedestrian space and bus alignment to the kerb
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Install 7m of accessible kerb that allows buses to pull in closer.
Customhouse Quay (outside Bell Gully)
On Customhouse Quay outside Bell Gully, the proposed southbound changes include:
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Install a bus stop with space for 3 buses, with seating
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Install real time displays for buses
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Extend footpath to improve pedestrian space and bus alignment to the kerb
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Install 7m of accessible kerb that allows buses to pull in closer.
Whitmore Street
On Whitmore Street, the proposed changes include:
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Buses travelling down Whitmore Street
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There will be no change to traffic lanes, bike lanes or pedestrian space.
Tell us what you think
If you have explored the proposed plans and want to share your ideas, our online form takes 3–5 minutes to complete and requires no registration. You can share your thoughts on the proposals, add detailed comments, and upload relevant documents or photos. Submissions are open until Sunday 14th June.
Prefer paper? Download the form (257KB PDF)
If you need help with making a submission, please email us at harbourquays@wcc.govt.nz or visit one of our drop-in sessions to speak to the team.
The Harbour Quays proposal provides benefits for everyone walking, including people using wheelchairs or mobility aids. Bus stops are designed for safe and accessible boarding, with level or ramped access, seating, and shelter. Stop locations are planned close to safe pedestrian crossings and key destinations such as Te Papa, Tākina, and Frank Kitts Park, making it easier for all pedestrians to navigate the waterfront and city centre.
Small design changes, such as removing parking on Queens Wharf, create safer, more direct pathways between public spaces, transport stops, and nearby venues. By reducing congestion and improving kerbside management, the corridor also provides a calmer and more predictable walking environment, helping everyone move through the area safely and comfortably.
For people on bikes, the Harbour Quays proposal aligns with wider city transport plans that encourage sustainable travel and reduced car use. While it doesn’t include dedicated cycling infrastructure, the corridor connects with existing and planned cycle projects like the Cross-City Bike Connections and Golden Mile upgrades. By reducing public transport congestion and managing kerbside activity more efficiently, the bus corridor may create a calmer, more predictable traffic environment—making the route more comfortable for confident riders sharing the road.
People on bikes will be able to use the bus priority lanes while they are in operation.
To balance public transport efficiency with kerbside access needs, we are proposing to allow the rearmost 10 metre sections of selected bus stops to operate as P10 ‘general’ loading zones outside of the bus lane operational hours. These time limited, general loading zones can be used by anyone with a vehicle — like couriers, tradespeople, and small business operators — to access kerbside space for short-term loading during off-peak periods.
As part of our early engagement, we worked closely with groups in the community and stakeholders to hear their views and refine the proposed designs.
These groups included:
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Emergency services
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Local businesses along the main route
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Tour bus and coach association
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Disability advocacy group
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Te Papa
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Intercontinental Hotel
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Automobile Association
The plans and traffic resolution
You can find more information about what is proposed for the Harbour Quays bus priority route by reading the plans and traffic resolution report