He tāone e hāngai ana ki te anamata
A city fit for the future
Wellington City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council are working together to improve bus services on the number 2 route. The route – Metlink’s busiest and most frequent – runs through the city between Karori in the west and Seatoun and Miramar in the east.
Wellington City Council is investing in the city’s transport system to move more people with fewer vehicles. As part of our Long-Term Plan, we're building a vibrant and liveable city in which people can move around on safe, sustainable and effective public transport.
That’s why we're working in partnership with Greater Wellington Regional Council to make key bus routes like this one more reliable.
There are two stages to the number 2 route improvements:
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Stage 1 - Karori to city. You can find information on this stage on Metlink’s website.
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Stage 2 - Miramar and Seatoun to the city. You can find information about this on this page.
Parts of the number 2 route, and the stops along it, are also used by other bus such as the peak hour express services. Almost every bus service using all or part of this route will benefit from these improvements.
What’s planned
We’re looking in detail at what changes need to be made to the eastern end of this route - the Miramar/Seatoun to city section.
The proposed changes will include making some stops longer, removing or consolidating some stops to improve bus stop spacing and reduce journey times, and some bus shelter changes.
This will include some bus shelter alterations, removals and additions in suburbs including Mt Victoria, Hataitai, Kilbirnie, Miramar, Strathmore and Seatoun.
It will also include some kerb and line marking changes at some intersections so they can be safely used by longer buses.
The changes will make some bus stops more accessible. Buses will be able to lower to kerb height if needed, and drivers will be able to extend the ramp for wheelchair users.
How we got here
More people than ever are using Wellington’s buses. This is a great thing for our city and the environment, and we need to keep up with this growing demand.
We are proposing to make changes to bus stops and some intersections along the route from the east used by the No. 2 and other bus services. This is planned to:
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provide quicker journey times for bus passengers who use this route
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increase bus capacity by ensuring the route, and all stops are suitable for longer buses (for instance articulated buses), or more than one bus to stop at the same stop at the same time.
Both Greater Wellington and Wellington City Council have provided funding in their long-term plans so the costs of these planned improvements will be shared 50/50.
Next steps
From early 2027, Metlink plans to start increasing the number of buses on the route and/or introducing higher-capacity buses, starting with the Karori to central city section.
Planning is under way for the changes required to upgrade stops and some intersections on the Miramar and Seatoun to the city section. There is likely to be more than 90 changes proposed on this section. Information about these will be available later in the year.
Late 2025 – consultation on the traffic resolutions required for these street changes, most likely in November.
Early 2026 – a Committee of Wellington City Councillors is expected to make decisions in about February 2026
Mid-2026 to late 2026/early 2027 – work to install the bus stop and street changes is expected to take about six months. The work will be done progressively, not all at once.
Te ara
The route
Key
Route 2
Keep up to date
You can contact the team by email: route2@wcc.govt.nz
For more information, visit the Metlink website.
Sign up to our project mailing list to receive the latest information
Upcoming community drop-in information sessions
Keen to hear more about what might be changing in your suburb? We'll be holding drop-ins in the suburbs along the route where people can learn more about the proposed changes and ask the project team any questions they have.
Mount Victoria
Wednesday 17th September between 3pm and 4.30pm at Clyde Quay School (27 Elizabeth Street Mount Victoria).