A $1 billion plan to change Christchurch's public transport network has been created.

Photo: Southbase

Today, the Canterbury Regional Council approved the draft regional transport plan, which contained three-year, 10-year and 30-year goals.

The council wants to establish nine city bus routes and introduce new payment methods, including credit cards and mobile phones.

Public transport senior manager Stewart Gibbon said they were going to be investing $1b into public transport over the next decade.

He said they wanted to create a bus fleet which produced zero emissions.

"The future of public transport in our communities is not big buses running on fixed routes through your neighbourhood.

"The future of public transport is smaller vehicles - more nimble, more agile, more flexible to meet the communities' needs."

Christchurch Regional Council chairperson Steve Lowndes said people had to be mindful of the pollutants being pumped into the atmosphere by vehicles.

"We've got to get people out of motor cars.

"We've got to get them onto public transport, and we've got to have low emissions, or zero emissions, from our public transport system."

It's also marked the first time the Canterbury Regional Council, Christchurch City Council, Selwyn District Council and the Waimakariri District Council worked on a plan together.

The plan will go out for public consultation on 17 September.