Introduced in December 1998, the popular service represented the first use of turbine-electric hybrid vehicles in New Zealand.

At the southern end, buses were using Moorhouse Avenue to turn around for the northbound journey via Madras and St Asaph streets.

[1] The buses were Designline Olymbus turbine-electric hybrid vehicles; the first use of this technology for public transport in New Zealand.

[2] The brand name makes reference to their initial purpose; they were designed for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, but were unsuccessful in their tender.

This group has received three reports on the potential resurrection of The Shuttle (February 2017, June 2017, and October 2017).