The OuterLink was a game-changer when it arrived in 2011 in time for the Rugby World Cup: the first frequent route across the isthmus, linking key destinations like St Lukes, Newmarket, the universities, Ponsonby and MOTAT. Along with its siblings, the InnerLink and CityLink, its colourful branding stood out and made the case for a network that connected suburbs to each other, not just to the city centre.
The idea of a bus that was so frequent you didn’t need a timetable was new then too – every 15 minutes, all day, just turn up and one will be along any minute.
Fast forward to 2024 and Auckland has embraced the frequent network, with turn-up-and-go frequencies on most arterials. The success of the InnerLink and OuterLink proved the demand for crosstown travel across the isthmus, and east-west journeys are now also served by routes 64, 650, 66 (the beach express!), 670 and 68.
The initial strength of the OuterLink (a loop route circling around many of central Auckland’s major destinations) is also its worst downside (Greater Auckland looked at the issues back in 2019). Loops are much more prone than linear routes to bunching: buses get stuck in traffic and catch up to each other. The longer the route, the worse this effect is, and the OuterLink is a very long route. Waiting for the OuterLink can feel like the old saying: you wait ages for a bus, and then three come along at once. The OuterLink promotes itself on frequency and freedom from timetables, but I often find myself looking anxiously at the live bus tracker, wondering if one will be there when I need it, or bunched somewhere else on the circuit.
The solution, as proposed in Auckland’s newest Regional Public Transport Plan, is to unknot the loop and give the route a beginning and an endpoint. The OuterLink will still travel most of the circuit, both ways, but running from point A to point B will mean a more reliable service that fulfils the promise of frequency and freedom.
The major change is between St Lukes and Newmarket, currently served by a circuitous portion of the Outer Link route that meanders via Balmoral, Valley Road, Mt Eden Village and Manukau Road. After the changes, passengers will have a choice between an enhanced 64 bus between St Lukes and Newmarket via Grafton, or a newly frequent 65 bus, running a direct line between Point Chev and Glen Innes via St Lukes, Balmoral and Greenlane. Secondary students will benefit from a new school bus between St Lukes and Epsom schools. Auckland Transport is also upgrading transfer points at major intersections such as Mt Eden Road/Greenlane Road, bringing bus stops closer together, adding shelter and wayfinding, and improving pedestrian crossings.
The main gap in the new central bus map is between the Dominion Road town centres and Mt Eden Village. This could be filled by a tweak to the 64 route: at the moment, it runs between Kingsland and Newmarket via Mt Eden and Grafton, patching the gap in the Western Line until Maungawhau Station reopens. The Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP) proposal extends it down Sandringham Road to St Lukes. We’ve proposed to Auckland Transport that after the City Rail Link (CRL) opens, the 64 bus should run via Dominion Road instead, connecting St Lukes, Balmoral, Dominion Road and Mt Eden Village – a real town centre express!.
The OuterLink has been part of central Auckland life for over a decade, and some users are understandably concerned that the changes mean a loss of service. Unfortunately C&R elected representatives with backing from Epson MP David Seymour are playing on these concerns to stoke outrage and undermine what will be a 
more usable and reliable network. Regular bus users know the frustration of waiting at the bus stop, and the changes will give us more frequency and better reliability. When consulted on as part of the RPTP last year, feedback on the OuterLink changes was strongly supportive, calling out the inefficiency and unreliability of the loop route. Rather than keep a route that was designed before we had the frequent network and crosstown services we have today, we should fight for services that work, that take people where they need to go, and that turn up on time. With a reliable new OuterLink route, a frequent 65, and a better 64, we can have the best of both worlds.
The Albert-Eden City Vision team have advocated strongly for Auckland Transport to keep the lines of communication open, and respond to residents’ concerns and questions about a major change to their local bus network. We’ve also consistently advocated for better, more reliable public transport. These crosstown changes will deliver that, and we’ll keep advocating for the finishing touch: the 64 town centre express.
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