Transport partnership improves access to Queenstown ski areas

Posted on 16 May 2010 at 02:37 PM

Efficient, user-friendly and affordable access from Queenstown to Coronet Peak and The Remarkables ski areas is again on offer through a partnership between NZSki Ltd and Connectabus Queenstown.

Known as NZSki Snowline, the partnership is improved this year with the establishment of three transport lines; green, yellow, and blue offering transport between accommodation properties and the Queenstown Snow Centre then to Coronet Peak or The Remarkables.

The Yellow line connects the traveler with various drop offs around Queenstown and the Snow Centre, the Green goes to and from The Remarkables, while the Blue goes to and from Coronet Peak.

And the service is very affordable.  A one day return trip from stops throughout Arrowtown, Frankton, Fernhill and Queenstown to the Snow Centre then up to The Remarkables costs just $5 per person.  A one day return including all transport to and from accommodation, the Snow Centre, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables (Yellow, Blue and Green lines) costs $12 per person.  The Green Line, which takes you directly from the Snow Centre to The Remarkables is FREE.

“This service is designed to be so inexpensive it makes sense to relax and take the bus rather than self drive,” says NZSki CEO James Coddington.  “The return trip from The Remarkables is designed to be particularly inexpensive to give people an incentive to use the bus rather than drive and not have to worry about parking.”

A five day pass across the Yellow and Green lines costs just $20 per person while a five day pass for all three lines costs $50 per person. The buses run every 15 minutes during peak times and passes can be bought from the Queenstown Snow Centre in The Station building or online at www.nzski.com.

Mr Coddington said the partnership with Connectabus was initiated last year to make it as easy and cost effective as possible for skiers and riders, whether they were locals or visitors, to get to Queenstown’s slopes.

“Developing NZSki Snowline with Connectabus to create a transport hub at the Snow Centre means NZSki won’t have its buses driving around town as well as those from Connectabus.  It’s far more efficient, and much more user friendly for anyone trying to access downtown at peak times” he said.

He said the service reflected the company’s commitment to efficiency and environmental considerations.

“The partnership utilizes the expertise of each company - Connectabus has purpose built buses for picking up and dropping off customers around town, while we have the expertise to operate in a mountain environment.

“We hope the low cost of our service will encourage everyone to use it. It is much more environmentally friendly to use one bus to transport 44 people to the mountains as opposed to lots of cars with fewer passengers,” he said.