Passenger numbers on the city's Metro system increased by 5.5 percent over the past week, and people are waiting longer for buses and finding it hard to get a seat.
“I was waiting at my bus stop for like twenty minutes this morning…it made me late to school and late to appointments,” said one bus user at the Christchurch Exchange.
With no end in sight to the conflict between the United States and Iran, people in Christchurch have begun to seek more cost-effective options for travelling.
“As the price of fuel continues to remain high, we would expect to see a progressive increase in the use of other modes, including public transport, as people look to manage the pressures of higher cost-of-living impacts,” said Stewart Gibbon – Environment Canterbury’s public transport general manager.
However, with more people come more problems.
Rydan Gurden, a regular bus user, has found that it's getting harder to find seating, especially for those who need it most.
“I've noticed that some people who don't necessarily belong in the priority seating tend to take those spots up… It's been hard for elderly people, especially, to get on and off the bus with how crowded they are”
