Passengers tried to push start a bus which got stuck on Lambton Quay.

One of Wellington's new electric double-decker buses had to abandon its trip after briefly breaking down in central Wellington.

The bus, operated by Tranzurban, broke down on Lambton Quay on Tuesday morning, with passengers forced to get off the bus and wait for another one.

A spokeswoman for the company said the driver was able to "reboot" the bus within about five minutes, before it was driven back to the company's Rongotai depot.

The bus blocked traffic for about 40 metres behind it.

A group of pedestrians decided to try and push start the bus, but were not able to do so, the spokeswoman said.

The scene has now been cleared.