A spelling mistake at an Auckland bus stop has had a speedy correction after locals pointed out the embarrassing gaffe.   

On Tuesday, contractors were sent out to West Auckland’s Te Atatū Peninsula to put in a new bus stop outside the Te Atatū Library. 

But locals were left both chuckling and frustrated when they noticed a glaring spelling error. 

Instead of the paint on the road saying “bus stop”, the worker wrote “BUS SOTP”. 

After the Herald highlighted the clanger, the spelling was corrected and commuters on Wednesday morning were greeted by a gleaming new paint job. 

“I kind of wanted it to stay the way it was,” one local said online. 

“A great reminder for us all that no matter what we do, or who we are, we all have a bad day at the office.” 

“Should have left it as it was - might have become a tourist spot!” another hopeful Westie suggested. 

Auckland Transport chose to sotp, collaborate and listen to residents' concerns over the misspelt sign. 

Many locals initially saw the funny side of the blunder. 

“Hoping this is photoshopped or else spelling lessons are going to be added to their job description,” one wrote. 

Another added: “What in the Temu road markings is this?” 

“One job,” a third joked. 

Some residents raised concerns about the bus stop’s location. 

One person described it as a “dumb place” to put the bus stop while others were fearful the location and space were too narrow for the bus to pull over, concerned that it would cause more traffic congestion on an already congested stretch of Te Atatū Rd. 

There were also fears the spelling mistake would cost ratepayers. 

However, Auckland Transport’s infrastructure and fleet specification manager, Edward Wright, said last night that remedial work would be paid for by the contracting company and not Auckland Transport. He also addressed concerns about the bus stop’s location. 

“AT is aware of a spelling error made by our contractor when they were installing a new bus stop in Te Atatū Peninsula last night as part of our North-West bus improvements. 

“The new bus stop pairs up with an existing bus stop across the road, letting us service the town centre from both directions and provide a better connection to the Western Express (WX1). 

“This mistake is very minor and will be fixed tonight if the weather allows. It will be repainted at the contractor’s expense, with no cost to AT.”