{"id":298082,"date":"2026-06-12T09:25:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T07:25:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?p=298082"},"modified":"2026-06-12T09:25:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T07:25:31","slug":"new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"New bus brings Garden Route National Park closer to communities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>GARDEN ROUTE<\/strong> &#8211; The Garden Route National Park has strengthened its efforts to make protected areas more accessible to nearby communities with the acquisition of a new 40-seater bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"473\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"298083\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/sanparks-bus-1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SANParks-bus-1.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"591,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"SANParks bus 1\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;A bus.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A new 40-seater bus. PHOTO: Supplied&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SANParks-bus-1-473x1024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SANParks-bus-1-473x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"SANParks 40-seater bus for community access to Garden Route National Park within a 50-kilometre radius.\" class=\"wp-image-298083\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.4619199487281217;width:199px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SANParks-bus-1-473x1024.jpeg 473w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SANParks-bus-1-139x300.jpeg 139w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SANParks-bus-1.jpeg 591w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 473px) 100vw, 473px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A new 40-seater bus. PHOTO: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>According to SANParks spokesperson JP Louw, the initiative forms part of SANParks&#8217; commitment to ensuring that national parks are accessible to all South Africans, particularly communities living adjacent to protected areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said that the bus would serve communities within a 50-kilometre radius of the park&#8217;s three sections: Wilderness, Knysna and Tsitsikamma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Louw said that by providing reliable transport, the initiative seeks to remove one of the key barriers that often limit community participation in park-based activities and programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The vehicle will support a range of initiatives, including environmental education programmes, conservation awareness campaigns, outreach activities and broader community engagement interventions,&#8221; said Louw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It will also create meaningful opportunities for residents to experience and connect with the natural and cultural heritage of the Garden Route National Park.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Louw said that this investment reflects SANParks&#8217; commitment to inclusion, accessibility and socio-economic transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;By strengthening links between communities and protected areas, the park aims to foster environmental stewardship, shared ownership and a deeper appreciation of South Africa&#8217;s natural heritage,&#8221; said Louw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ALSO READ<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/four-south-african-beaches-named-among-the-worlds-best-for-2026\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/four-south-african-beaches-named-among-the-worlds-best-for-2026\/\">Four South African beaches named among the world\u2019s best for 2026<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SANParks has acquired a new 40-seater bus to improve access to the Garden Route National Park for communities within a 50-kilometre radius.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":298084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"79","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"2","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[9700,93,9278,9701],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-298082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-accessibility","tag-featured","tag-garden-route-national-park","tag-protected-areas"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>New bus brings Garden Route National Park closer to communities | Kouga Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Garden Route National Park bus initiative aims to connect nearby communities to conservation, education and cultural heritage programmes across the park.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New bus brings Garden Route National Park closer to communities\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Garden Route National Park bus initiative aims to connect nearby communities to conservation, education and cultural heritage programmes across the park.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/lightspeedwpdev\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-12T07:25:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-12T07:25:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SANParks-bus-2.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/x.com\/lightspeedwp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d9d8e6bb40fa6983d90edd80d15a679f\"},\"headline\":\"New bus brings Garden Route National Park closer to communities\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-12T07:25:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-12T07:25:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":229,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/SANParks-bus-2.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"accessibility\",\"Featured\",\"Garden Route National Park\",\"protected areas\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\\\/\",\"name\":\"New bus brings Garden Route National Park closer to communities | Kouga Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/SANParks-bus-2.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-12T07:25:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-12T07:25:31+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Garden Route National Park bus initiative aims to connect nearby communities to conservation, education and cultural heritage programmes across the park.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/SANParks-bus-2.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/SANParks-bus-2.jpeg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":960,\"caption\":\"Garden Route National Park acquires 40-seater bus for community access. PHOTO: Supplied\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"New bus brings Garden Route National Park closer to communities\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\"],\"description\":\"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.\",\"email\":\"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"042-992 5650\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d9d8e6bb40fa6983d90edd80d15a679f\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"description\":\"Ash Shaw is the founder of LightSpeed, a WordPress design and development agency established in 2003. With over 20 years of experience, Ash is a seasoned business manager, web strategist, and product lead specializing in WordPress, WooCommerce, AI-driven workflows, and digital publishing solutions. A key figure in the WordPress community since 2007, Ash has played a significant role in organizing WordCamp events, developing open-source projects, and leading UX\\\/UI improvements in WordPress-based platforms. Ash is passionate about design systems, block-based themes, and bridging the gap between design and development.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/lightspeedwp.agency\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/facebook.com\\\/lightspeedwpdev\",\"https:\\\/\\\/instagram.com\\\/lightspeedwpdev\",\"https:\\\/\\\/linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/lightspeedwp\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/lightspeedwp\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@lightspeedwp\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/author\\\/lightspeedwp\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"New bus brings Garden Route National Park closer to communities | Kouga Express","description":"The Garden Route National Park bus initiative aims to connect nearby communities to conservation, education and cultural heritage programmes across the park.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"New bus brings Garden Route National Park closer to communities","og_description":"The Garden Route National Park bus initiative aims to connect nearby communities to conservation, education and cultural heritage programmes across the park.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/","og_site_name":"Kouga Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_author":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/lightspeedwpdev","article_published_time":"2026-06-12T07:25:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-12T07:25:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":960,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SANParks-bus-2.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Kouga Express","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/x.com\/lightspeedwp","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kouga Express","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/"},"author":{"name":"Kouga Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d9d8e6bb40fa6983d90edd80d15a679f"},"headline":"New bus brings Garden Route National Park closer to communities","datePublished":"2026-06-12T07:25:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-12T07:25:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/"},"wordCount":229,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SANParks-bus-2.jpeg","keywords":["accessibility","Featured","Garden Route National Park","protected areas"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/","name":"New bus brings Garden Route National Park closer to communities | Kouga Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SANParks-bus-2.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-06-12T07:25:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-12T07:25:31+00:00","description":"The Garden Route National Park bus initiative aims to connect nearby communities to conservation, education and cultural heritage programmes across the park.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SANParks-bus-2.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SANParks-bus-2.jpeg","width":1280,"height":960,"caption":"Garden Route National Park acquires 40-seater bus for community access. PHOTO: Supplied"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-bus-brings-garden-route-national-park-closer-to-communities\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"New bus brings Garden Route National Park closer to communities"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","name":"Kouga Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization","name":"Kouga Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Kouga Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/"],"description":"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.","email":"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"042-992 5650","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d9d8e6bb40fa6983d90edd80d15a679f","name":"Kouga Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kouga Express"},"description":"Ash Shaw is the founder of LightSpeed, a WordPress design and development agency established in 2003. With over 20 years of experience, Ash is a seasoned business manager, web strategist, and product lead specializing in WordPress, WooCommerce, AI-driven workflows, and digital publishing solutions. A key figure in the WordPress community since 2007, Ash has played a significant role in organizing WordCamp events, developing open-source projects, and leading UX\/UI improvements in WordPress-based platforms. Ash is passionate about design systems, block-based themes, and bridging the gap between design and development.","sameAs":["https:\/\/lightspeedwp.agency\/","https:\/\/facebook.com\/lightspeedwpdev","https:\/\/instagram.com\/lightspeedwpdev","https:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/lightspeedwp","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/x.com\/lightspeedwp","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@lightspeedwp"],"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/author\/lightspeedwp\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SANParks-bus-2.jpeg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":295222,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/sanparks-brings-festive-joy-to-tsitsikamma-communities\/","url_meta":{"origin":298082,"position":0},"title":"SANParks brings festive joy to Tsitsikamma communities","author":"Kouga Express","date":"23 December 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Tsitsikamma park carried out festive community outreach initiatives on 17-18 December, supporting local children and families.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Christmas tree alongside a fireplace.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ai-generated-8375574_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ai-generated-8375574_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ai-generated-8375574_1280.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ai-generated-8375574_1280.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Kouga Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298082"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":298087,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298082\/revisions\/298087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298082"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=298082"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=298082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}