Tauranga residents with disabilities are being invited to test a fully wheelchair accessible Bay Hopper bus tomorrow as part of International Day with Disabilities.

The Bay Hopper bus will be parked at Red Square, at the bottom of Spring Street in downtown Tauranga, from 11am until 1pm on Tuesday.

A fully accessible Bay Hopper bus will be parked at Red Square tomorrow for the Have a Go Day.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Acting Transport Policy Manager, Rachel Pinn, hopes people with disabilities come along and find out about the local public transport options available to them.

'Getting on a bus can be a daunting prospect for people with impairments or in wheelchairs.

'This will be a hassle-free day. They can come along to practice getting on and off the bus, learn about the routes available and find out how things like ticketing and timetables work, all in a relaxed environment and at their own pace.”

BOP Regional Council, which contracts public transport services in the region, is supporting the ‘Have a go' initiative in conjunction with Tauranga City Council, Go Bus Transport and CCS Disability Action.

Staff from all of the supporting organisations will be on hand during the day to chat to people about their bus experience and to discuss any issues or ideas.

'We want everyone to be able to use our public transport services and we're continuously looking to improve what we offer.

'We're keen to talk to people with disabilities about their ideas and experiences so that we can make our local buses even more accessible.”

Do you have ideas or comments about the public bus service? What do you think? Email newsroom@thesun.co.nz or comment here.