Nelson Tasman’s eBus wins national award for Outstanding Customer Satisfaction

Nelson Tasman’s eBus service has won an award for Outstanding Customer Satisfaction at the first-ever NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), Public Transport Association Australia New Zealand (PTAANZ) Awards.  

Across Thursday 4 and Friday 5 September, Public Transport professionals from throughout the country gathered in Auckland for the first PTAANZ Conference to be held in New Zealand.  

The judges said “Nelson Tasman was recognised for delivering the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Following a network redesign and introduction of new electric buses, more residents chose public transport, enjoying a simple, legible network." 

In late 2024, eBus undertook a survey of passengers with questions covering everything from frequency and reliability to safety and security. In total, 214 passengers took part in the survey. eBus scored very highly across a number of metrics and returned an overall satisfaction rating of 94%. Vehicle quality and service access (both scoring 93%) had the highest satisfaction, while the scores for change information (69%) and service frequency (76%) indicated areas where the service can improve. Many passengers asked for earlier and later services. This data was included in a report to NZTA Waka Kotahi.  

The award comes as Council is working towards implementing the first phase of changes following the public transport review, which will be determined by the Joint Nelson Tasman Regional Transport Committee in late September. 

Group Manager Infrastructure Alec Louverdis says “If you’ve tried the service before, now’s the perfect time to come back on board, and if you haven’t yet, why not start with just one day a week?” 

“This award further recognises the hard work put into the service by those behind the scenes from the customer service teams to the bus drivers.” 

EBus was recognised alongside Taranaki Regional Council, Auckland Transport and Horizons Regional Council which also won awards.