Agenda of Public Transport Committee - Friday, 27 November 2020

Item No.	Subject of each matter to be considered	Reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter	Grounds under Section 48(1) for the passing of this resolution	When the item can be released into the public
10.1	Public Excluded Public Transport Committee Minutes - 27 October 2020	As noted in the relevant Minutes.	As noted in the relevant Minutes.	To remain in public excluded.

Public Transport Committee Minutes

27 October 2020

Public Transport Committee

Open Minutes

Commencing: Tuesday 27 October 2020, 1.30pm

Venue: Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chambers, Regional House, 1 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga

Chairperson: Cr Andrew von Dadelszen

Deputy Chairperson: Cr Lyall Thurston

Members: Cr Norm Bruning

Cr Jane Nees

Cr Paula Thompson (via Zoom)

Cr Stacey Rose (via Zoom)

Western Bay of Plenty District Council

Mayor Garry Webber

Tauranga City Council

Cr Heidi Hughes

Whakatāne District Council

Mayor Judy Turner (via Zoom)

Deputy Mayor Andrew Iles (Alternate) ( via Zoom)

Rotorua Lakes Council

Phill Thomass

Waka Kotahi - NZTA

Natalie van Rossen (Non-voting Member) (via Zoom )

In Attendance: Bay of Plenty Regional Council: Cr David Love

Staff: Namouta Poutasi – General Manager, Strategy & Science, Mat Taylor – General Manager, Corporate, Debbie Hyland – Finance & Transport Operations Manager, Jessica Easton - Legal and Commercial Manager, James Llewellyn (via Zoom) – Transport & Urban Planning Manager, Ruth Feist – Team Leader Urban, Rehan Shaikh - Senior Network Planner, Nick Rehan - Senior Transport Planner, Jessica Durham – Committee Advisor

Apologies: Mayor Tenby Powell

Mayor Judy Turner for lateness (via Zoom )

1. Apologies

Resolved

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Accepts the apologies from Mayor Tenby Powell, and Mayor Judy Turner for lateness tendered at the meeting.

Thurston/Webber

CARRIED

2. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest

Nil

3. Minutes

Minutes to be Confirmed

3.1

Public Transport Committee Minutes - 27 August 2020

Matters Arising

· Members enquired as to progress on the petitions raised in Minute Item 3.1 at the 27 August 2020 Public Transport Committee meeting. Staff advised they were working through potential changes and giving consideration to possible effects of alternative options. Further detail would be reported to the November Public Transport Committee meeting.

Items for Staff Follow Up:

· Staff to include Tauranga City Council park and ride report in November Public Transport Committee meeting agenda.

Resolved

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Confirms the Public Transport Committee Minutes - 27 August 2020 as a true and correct record, subject to the following amendments:

Minute Item 2, Public Forum by Max Lewis include a staff follow up point that Council staff would respond to the concerns raised.

Thurston/Bruning

CARRIED

4. Public Excluded Section

Resolved

Resolution to exclude the public

1 Excludes the public from the following parts of the proceedings of this meeting as set out below:

The general subject of each matter to be considered while the public is excluded, the reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter, and the specific grounds under section 48(1) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for the passing of this resolution are as follows:

Item No.	Subject of each matter to be considered	Reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter	Grounds under Section 48(1) for the passing of this resolution	When the item can be released into the public
4.1	Western Bay of Plenty Transport System Plan	Withholding the information is necessary to protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence or which any person has been or could be compelled to provide under the authority of any enactment, where the making available of the information would be likely to prejudice the supply of similar information, or information from the same source, and it is in the public interest that such information should continue to be supplied.	48(1)(a)(i) Section 7 (2)(c)(i).	On the Chief Executive's approval.

Thurston/Bruning

CARRIED

5. Restatement in Open Section

Resolved

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report and presentation, Western Bay of Plenty Transport System Plan.

2 Supports in principle the TSP prioritised list and implementation programme for the purpose of submission into the Bay of Plenty Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP), subject to further detailed work is required to assess the draft programme of activities for technical feasibility, value for money, affordability, deliverability, packaging and phasing.

3 Notes that all financial commitments for all parties (Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, and Waka Kotahi) arising from the TSP will need to be agreed and included as part of their individual Long Term Plans subject to NLTP prioritisation.

4 Notes that the Regional Land Transport Plan will need to consider and prioritise transport investment across the entire Bay of Plenty region.

5 Agrees to develop joint Regional Council and Territorial Authority Public Transport funding and delivery Long Term Plan questions in relation to fares / parking policy, accessibility, and infrastructure funding.

6 Confirms the public be excluded from consideration of this report and its attachments on the grounds set out in the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 under Section 48(1)(a)(i) Section 7 (2)(c)(i) as withholding the information is necessary to protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence or which any person has been or could be compelled to provide under the authority of any enactment, where the making available of the information would be likely to prejudice the supply of similar information, or information from the same source, and it is in the public interest that such information should continue to be supplied.

7 Confirms that the report and its attachments be released to the public on the Chief Executive’s approval.

Thurston/Nees

CARRIED

Members conveyed their thanks to staff for their efforts on the Transport System Plan to date.

3.12pm – the meeting closed.

Confirmed

Cr Andrew von Dadelszen

Chairperson, Public Transport Committee



Report To:	Public Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	27 November 2020
Report Authoriser:	Mat Taylor, General Manager, Corporate

Chairperson's Report

Executive Summary

This report highlights matters of interest that the Committee Chair considers to be relevant to the business of the Public Transport Committee.

The report includes updates on the national context including Waka Kotahi NZTA investment update, Bay of Plenty Mode Shift Plan and Employment Relations Amendment Act assurance work; and public transport including Regional Integrated Ticketing System, patronage overview and Western Bay of Plenty Public Transport Community Panel; and an infrastructure update from Tauranga City Council.

The report also provides a high level overview of the Public Transport Committee Work Programme for 2021.

Recommendations

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Chairperson's Report.

1. Matters of Potential Interest

1.1.1 Waka Kotahi NZTA Funding

Waka Kotahi has created a draft Investment Prioritisation Method (IPM), which replaces the Investment Assessment Framework for the 2021–24 period. It proposes moving from two prioritisation factors to three (as was the case before 2018), to give effect to the Government Policy Statement on land transport (GPS) 2021. This includes the three-factor priority order matrix and the Indicative Efficiency Rating tool, to prioritise activities for inclusion in the 2021–24 National Land Transport Programme. Waka Kotahi are currently seeking feedback on the IPM and feedback is being provided jointly by regional councils and Auckland Transport through the Transport Special Interest Group.

1.1.2 Bay of Plenty Region Mode Shift Plan

Waka Kotahi have approved and finalised the Bay of Plenty Region Mode Shift Plan. This is now available here:

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/assets/resources/keeping-cities-moving/BoP-regional-mode-shift-plans.pdf

1.1.3 Low Emission Bus Working Group

In 2019, Auckland Transport convened key industry stakeholders at the Auckland Low Emission Bus Forum. This was an opportunity to discuss industry trends, tackle challenges, and share opportunities for collaboration and effective implementation. The outcome of the Forum was the establishment of the Low Emission Bus Working Group, which brings together a range of public and private stakeholders on a regular basis to address the challenges and opportunities to transition to low emission buses.

The Working Group will now be expanded to include other regional councils in order to streamline regional discussions, centralise engagement with Ministry of Transport and Waka Kotahi to explore co-funding and investigate faster decarbonisation of public transport in New Zealand in a collaborative manner. Council has joined the Working Group and the first meeting will be held in December.

1.1.4 Employment Relations Amendment Act 2018 – Rest And Meal Breaks

Now that almost all Councils have completed the transition to rest and meal break compliant timetables, schedules and driver rosters, Waka Kotahi is commencing its assurance programme. The purpose of the assurance programme is to confirm that:

· operators followed a process consistent with the requirements of the Employment Relations Amendment Act 2018 (ERAA) for the scheduling of breaks;

· costs of implementing rest and meal break requirements are reasonable in the circumstances; and

· there are no undue passenger disruption and driver impacts.

As part of the assurance programme, Waka Kotahi has appointed Deloitte and Stantec to provide independent confirmation that operators’ submissions for additional resources are fair and reasonable.

Waka Kotahi had directed Councils to pay operators for costs that they are incurring due to implementation, but that any ERAA payments and associated changes to base contract payment and variation rates are subject to adjustments due to the outcomes of the assurance work. This process could result in higher or lower payments.

1.2 Public Transport

1.2.1 Patronage Overview

The July-September period (Quarter 1 of 2020/21), was still very much impacted by New Zealand’s response to COVID-19. After a time at Level 1, the transfer back to Level 2 on 12 August, social distancing restricting passenger numbers and the compulsory use of face masks on public transport from 30 August to 22 September moulded a new look for the public transport environment for the quarter.

Despite the challenges, patronage still increased overall by 3.3% on the same period last year due in large part to the free fares provided during July.

School bus services

Patronage on school services has continued to be strong with a Quarter 1 increase of 28% on the same period last year. There were 71,000 trips in August, the highest monthly rate since the trial was introduced. September was down to 61,000 trips reflecting the impacts of COVID-19 and school exams.

This trial has now been extended to include the 2021 school year.

1.2.2 Regional Integrated Ticketing System

The Bee card has been in operation in the Bay of Plenty for travel on most bus services for over three months now with 25,892 cards registered at the end of September.

During this time Council has provided the Bee Card free of charge, to allow passengers to move to the new system. As of 1 November 2020, Bee cards across the country will cost $5 when ordered online or collected in person.

1.2.3 Western Bay of Plenty Public Transport Community Panel

Since the last meeting of the Public Transport Committee meeting, the following progress has been made:

· The Terms of Reference for the Panel was finalised with the Chair of the Committee;

· Contacts for the various groups listed in the Terms of References were identified; and

· Emails were sent to the contacts seeking a representative for the Panel.

Staff received some responses to the first call out for representatives on the panel and are currently following those that did not respond. Staff will then work through and identify gaps in the representation (relative to the Terms of Reference) and actively pursue options to fill those gaps.

Once the panel members are confirmed, a meeting will be arranged in the early New Year.

1.3 Infrastructure

1.3.1 Tauranga City Council Park and Ride and Real-time Information Update

As requested at the Public Transport Committee meeting on 27 August 2020, Tauranga City Council has provided updates on park and ride investigations, and the roll out of real-time information.

This information is attached as Appendix 1 to this report.

2. Public Transport Committee Work Programme

The Public Transport Committee’s 2020 work programme was previously adopted at the 26 February meeting. Development of the 2021 work programme is underway, with the final version to be brought to the first Committee meeting in 2021 for confirmation. The work programme identifies the strategic matters that will be brought to the Committee during the year for their direction.

The list below is a high-level overview of the key components of the work programme.

Regional Public Transport Plan

Staff will begin review of the Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP) in early 2021, develop draft plan for consultation by end of 2021, and adopt new version by 30 June 2022. There are expected to be a number of policies within the RPTP which will require Committee input.

Sub-regional Public Transport Network Reviews

Staff will undertake the following network reviews:

· Rotorua (currently underway – refer to separate report in this agenda for more information);

· Eastern Bay (to begin early 2021); and

· Western Bay network optimisation, starting with Mount / Pāpāmoa review (from Phase 3 Public Transport Blueprint) before embarking on a rolling programme of activities which will be integrated with (a) infrastructure delivery and (b) spatial planning / development planning.

The outcomes of the respective PT Network reviews, and implementation of the Public Transport Strategic Framework will progress through to sub-regional PT Activity Plans (public transport service and infrastructure planning and delivery for each sub-region).

Travel Demand Management/Behaviour Change Project

Staff will undertake a region-wide Travel Demand Management / Behaviour Change project. Travel Demand Management describes a series of planning interventions and projects which aim to change the way people and organisations think about their travel needs, as a means of then changing their travel behaviour. Scope to be defined.

Attachments

Attachment 1 - Letter from Tauranga City Council - Park and Ride and Real Time Service-Facilities



Report To:	Public Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	27 November 2020
Report Writer:	Rehan Shaikh, Senior Network Planner
Report Authoriser:	Namouta Poutasi, General Manager, Strategy & Science
Purpose:	To seek approval to terminate the Mamaku Village connector trial, and provide updates on other current public transport trials.

Improving our Network

Executive Summary

This paper provides an update on improvements being made to the bus network across the region. The following areas are specifically covered:

· The need for a decision on whether to terminate the Mamaku Village connector trial due to a lack of patronage.

· An update on the public transport trials which are currently running:

- Super Gold Card free travel

- Tauranga schools fare free

- Regional tertiary fare free

· An update on proposed changes for Tauranga school routes.

Recommendations

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Improving our Network.

2 Agrees to terminate the Mamaku Village connector trial at the conclusion of the contract on 31 December 2020.

1. Introduction

This report requires a decision from the Committee on whether to terminate the Mamaku Village connector trial due to a lack of patronage

It also provides an update of the public transport trials currently underway in the Bay of Plenty including:

- Super Gold Card free travel

- Tauranga schools fare free

- Regional tertiary fare free.

Proposed changes to the Tauranga school bus routes for 2021 is also provided.

In addition, it can be confirmed that Bay of Plenty Regional Council has approved the extension of the Tauranga schools fare free and regional tertiary fare free trials to December 2021.

1.1 Alignment with Strategic Framework

A Vibrant Region

We lead regional transport strategy and system planning, working with others to deliver a safe and reliable public transport system.

1.1.1 Community Well-beings Assessment

Dominant Well-Beings Affected

þ Environmental

Low - Positive

þ Cultural

Low - Positive

þ Social

Medium - Positive

þ Economic

Low - Positive

Improving the public transport network predominately has social and economic benefits for our communities. There are also positive benefits to the environment (i.e. reducing transport emissions) where people choose to use public transport over single occupancy vehicles.

2. Decision required – Mamaku Village Connector

2.1 Background to Mamaku Village Connector Trial

The Mamaku Village connector trial started on 15 October 2019, and is due to conclude on 31 December 2020. Mamaku Village Connector Service is operated by Cross Country Rentals. Initially, the contract cost was $10,764.78 and the original contract period was from 15 October 2019 to 24 June 2020 operated every Tuesday.

In June 2020 the Mamaku Residents’ Association asked to change the operation day and incorporate more pickup points around Mamaku Village. As per their requests the service started operate on Saturday and new pickup points were also included. A Contract Variation effective from 24 June 2020, amended the end date to 31 December 2020 with contract value amended to $21,934.06.

The current timetable and patronage data is shown below in section 2.2 and 2.3.

2.2 Current Timetable

The service runs every Saturday except public holidays.

Time	Stops
09:30 am	Mamaku Bus Shelter
09:45 am	Ngongotahā
10:00 am	Rotorua Hospital
10:10 am	Rotorua Central Mall
10:15 am	Rotorua i-Site
Return trip
02:00 pm	Rotorua i-Site
02:05 pm	Rotorua Central Mall
02:15 pm	Rotorua Hospital
02:30 pm	Ngongotahā
02:45 pm	Mamaku Bus Shelter

2.3 Patronage

As shown by the table below, there has been little to no usage of the service since February 2020, despite changes requested implemented in June. Noting the potential impact of COVID-19.

Data is shown to September 2020, which is the most recent information available at the time of preparing this report.

Month 2019/2020	Boarding by passenger class			No. of commuters
Month 2019/2020	SuperGold	Adult	Concession	No. of commuters
July 2019				0
August				0
September				0
October	21	3	-	24
November	1	4	-	5
December	1	1	-	2
January 2020	5	7	-	12
February	-	5	-	5
March	-	2	-	2
April	-	-	-	0
May	-	1	-	1
June				0
July				0
August				0
September 2020				0

2.4 Summary

The Mamaku Residents’ Association has acknowledged that the trial has been unsuccessful.

Based on the lack of use, it is recommended that the unsuccessful trial be terminated when the current contract finishes at the end of December 2020.

3. Update on current trials

3.1 SuperGold Card Free Travel

The trial of free travel for SuperGold card holders has been extended until 30 June 2021 on all Bayhopper and Cityride services. During the trial period eligible card holders (aged 65 and over) will have free bus travel on the regional network from:

· 9:00 am on weekdays; and

· All day on weekends and public holidays.

3.1.1 Patronage for SuperGold Cardholders

Data is shown to September 2020, which is the most recent information available at the time of preparing this report.

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
2018							34,681	37,491	37,107	41,858	40,814	35,484
2019	39,209	36,816	39,610	39,211	43,828	36,682	38,622	39,776	37,549	43,412	44,468	42,102
2020	43,774	42,710	30,058	105¹	659¹	-	19,009	32,006	-	-	-

¹ Patronage decreased due to Covid lockdown

3.1.2 Boarding by Time Period

Time period	Boarding percentage
Off peak	72.95%
Weekend	15.8%
Peak	11.25%

3.1.3 Analysis

Patronage in 2019 was generally higher than equivalent months in 2018. Data from 2020 is substantially affected by Covid-19 impacts, however January and February 2020 show increases above the 2019 numbers. The August numbers show patronage is recovering, although not yet to previous years’ levels.

3.2 Tauranga School Fare Free

The Tauranga schools fare free trial commenced on 27 January 2020, and has been extended to December 2021.

3.2.1 Patronage

Data is shown to August 2020, which is the most recent information available at the time of preparing this report.

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
2018							31,384	60,990	49,011	28,015	37,603	5,658¹
2019	504¹	35,039	40,357	29,766	55,191	46,252	34,124	56,022	44,632	26,136	31,656	9,477¹
2020	743¹	61,330	52,260	72²	27,030	-	32,904	71,131	-	-	-

¹December & January are school holidays

²Patronage are reduced due to Covid lockdown

3.2.2 Boarding by Time Period

Time period	Boarding percentage
Peak	95.81%
Off peak	4.19%

3.2.3 Analysis

The data for 2018 and 2019 reveals a regular trend of high during the mid-year and low during the end of year due to school holidays. The patronage for 2020 is different because of lockdown during Covid 19, but the data shows patronage was higher in February and March 2020 that in 2019, and substantially higher in August 2020 (compared to 2018 and 2019).

3.3 Regional Tertiary Fare Free

The regional tertiary fare free trial was launched at the beginning of 2020. The service enables students from Katikati, Rotorua and Whakatāne to travel into Tauranga and back every weekday. It has been extended to 20 December 2021. The service is a joint venture between the University of Waikato, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology and Bay of Plenty Regional Council, with each organisation contributing funds to make the service available, along with a grant from Waka Kotahi NZTA.

3.3.1 Patronage

Data is shown to August 2020, which is the most recent information available at the time of preparing this report.

Year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

2019

45,072

54,995

50,058

51,685

56,147

41,823

2020

37,708

37,694

32,618

21¹

1,294

21,552

21.182

¹Patronage are reduced due to Covid lockdown

3.3.2 Boarding by Time Period

Time period	Boarding percentage
Off peak	33.82%
Weekend	16%
Peak	50.18%

3.3.3 Analysis

Due to the trial only starting in July 2019, and the impacts of Covid-19 lockdown, there is not sufficient data to make a full analysis at this stage. The July and August 2020 patronage is significantly lower than for 2019.

4. Proposed Changes for Tauranga School Routes 2021

A further step to improving the bus network includes a number of changes to the school bus network are planned for the 2021 school year. These are primarily focussed on increasing patronage by making the routes more accessible and usable for students, and have been made following analysis of patronage data, requests from parents and suggestions from schools. Most of the changes are minor, however some changes will have a greater impact:

• Tauriko School has been added to the network. Tauriko School is located at the very busy intersection of State Highway 29 and Cambridge Road, and has two afternoon bus runs designed to reduce the number of parents driving to the school to pick up children. These have been fitted into our existing network and don’t require additional vehicles or drivers.

• Tauranga Intermediate buses from Welcome Bay – these have been altered to provide more capacity where it is needed and to reduce the number of buses travelling around the Osprey Drive loop.

• Route change between St Mary’s Catholic School and Tauranga Intermediate, to use the new traffic lights at the Burrows Street/15th Avenue intersection.

• Alteration of Mt Maunganui College bus routes in the afternoon to provide a direct link between the College and the Bayfair area. This will reduce the number of students walking to Links Avenue to catch an urban bus.

In addition to these school route changes, there will be some additional trips on the urban network. These benefit all bus users by providing additional capacity at peak school travel time, which means adult passengers aren’t being displaced or inconvenienced by large numbers of students. These additional trips are an inbound trip on route 36 from Pāpāmoa East, which benefits Tauranga Intermediate and Tauranga Boys’ College students; and additional trips on route 221 to Te Puke via Tara Road, which benefit Te Puke High School and Te Puke Intermediate students.

5. Considerations

5.1 Risks and Mitigations

There are no significant risks associated with the matters in this report.

5.2 Climate Change

Improvements to our public transport network has the potential to reduce transport emissions where people choose to use public transport over single occupancy vehicles. The table below shows the emissions by type of vehicle, therefore giving an indication of the emission reductions.

CO₂ emissions	Type of Vehicle
CO₂ emissions	Petrol/Diesel car	Electric car	Diesel Bus	Electric Bus
Range of emissions for vehicle	123 gm CO₂/km (Citroen) – 170 gm CO₂ /km (Kia) – 303 gm CO₂ /km (Ferrari & Chrysler)	71 gm CO₂/km (Leaf) – 120 gm CO₂/km (Tesla S)	200 – 300 gm CO₂/Passenger km	0-30 gm CO₂/Passenger km
Average emissions for vehicle	180 g/km	25 - 50 gm CO₂/km (NZ based energy generation)	250 gm CO₂/Passenger km	10 gm CO₂/Passenger km (Renewable Electric Power)
BOP Regional Population	310,000 (as per 2018 census)
BOP Regional Private cars and buses	227,608		920
Average emissions per person for vehicle	132 gm/person	25 gm/person	0.74 gm/passenger km	0.03 gm/passenger km

Sources:

https://www.transport.govt.nz/statistics-and-insights/fleet-statistics/sheet/vehicle-fleet

file:///C:/Users/RehanS/Downloads/MoT-Transport-Outlook.pdf

https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/113716572/the-cleanest-and-dirtiest-car-brands-in-new-zealand#:~:text=The%20research%20shows%20that%20average,falling%20to%20146.3g%2Fkm.

https://www.nextgreencar.com/emissions/

EEA (2013) “Monitoring CO2 Emissions from New Passenger Cars in the EU: Summary of Data for 2012”, European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, Denmark

https://www.stats.govt.nz/tools/2018-census-place-summaries/bay-of-plenty-region

Mitigation			Adaptation
Reduce GHG emissions	Produce GHG emissions	Sequester carbon	Anticipate climate change impacts	Respond to climate change impacts
☒	☐	☐	☐	☐

The matters in this report related to Focus Area 3 (the services we provide as a Regional Council) in the Bay of Plenty Regional Council 2019/20 Climate Change Action Plan and Goal 10 - reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the region.

5.3 Implications for Māori

Improvements to our public transport network via the mechanisms covered in this report have the potential to have positive effects for Māori around accessibility and provision of transport options.

5.4 Community Engagement

INFORM

Whakamōhio

To provide affected communities with balanced and objective information to assist them in understanding the problems, alternatives and/or solutions.

This report is largely information only on matters to improve the public transport network. The results of the decision around the termination of the Mamaku Village connector trial, and changes to the Tauranga school bus routes for 2021 will be provided to the community rather than for consultation.

5.5 Financial Implications

There are no material unbudgeted financial implications and this fits within the allocated budget.

6. Next Steps

The next steps are:

· Terminate the Mamaku Village Connector trial, including informing the community of the decision.

· Continue to monitor public transport trials and report the results to the Committee.

· Implement the changes to the Tauranga school bus routes in 2021.



Report To:	Public Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	27 November 2020
Report Writer:	Jessica Easton, Legal and Commercial Manager
Report Authoriser:	Mat Taylor, General Manager, Corporate
Purpose:	To provide an overview of the Bus User and Non-User Surveys for Public Transport in the Bay of Plenty.

Bus User and Non-User Surveys

Executive Summary

This project is being undertaken to assist Council to better understand the perceptions, attitudes and awareness of users and non-users of urban and rural bus services in Tauranga and Rotorua to underpin improvement of bus services and an increase in bus patronage.

Overview of some key findings of the user survey:

· The Overall Performance rating was 80%.

· Slightly more than three-quarters of users (76%) have evaluated the local public transport service in the region very positively, this is significantly higher than 2018 (56%).

· Almost all respondents (94%) have or know about the Bee Card. Users in the 25-44 age group are more likely to be aware of the Bee Card than older residents.

· Nearly nine in ten (88%) are likely to recommend public transport use to others, again significantly higher than 2018 (77%).

· Staff are exploring further engagement to better reflect our community.

Recommendations

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Bus User and Non-User Surveys.

1. Introduction

The bus user satisfaction survey is conducted every year and the user and non-user survey should be conducted every three years to meet Waka Kotahi requirements.

Key Research was commissioned to survey bus users in Tauranga and Rotorua to establish their overall satisfaction with their local public transport service and their most recent bus trip in particular. This involved a phone survey of residents across the Bay of Plenty region. The survey started on 13 August 2020 and ended on 20 October 2020.

1.1 Legislative Framework

Waka Kotahi requires contract performance measures to be included in partnering requirements. This is detailed in the procurement manual for activities funded through the National Land Transport Programme.

Performance data is to be reported at least once every three years and specifies that Councils measure public transport customer satisfaction by undertaking a survey to ensure results are comparable across operators, modes and regions.

The last bus user survey was conducted in 2018, and the last non-bus user survey was conducted in 2014.

1.2 Alignment with Strategic Framework

A Vibrant Region

We lead regional transport strategy and system planning, working with others to deliver a safe and reliable public transport system.

The results will be used to inform high-level decisions associated with TSP and UFTI

1.2.1 Community Well-beings Assessment

Dominant Well-Beings Affected

þ Environmental

Low - Positive

þ Cultural

Low - Positive

þ Social

Medium - Positive

þ Economic

Medium - Positive

2. Bus User and Non-user Surveys

The primary objective of the research is to understand bus users' perceptions, attitudes and awareness of services and use the findings to improve local bus services and ultimately increase bus patronage

The primary objective of the bus user research is to understand bus users’ perceptions, attitudes and awareness of services and use the findings to improve local bus services and ultimately increase bus patronage.

The objectives of the non-bus user research is to:

· determine the reasons for non-use of the local public bus services;

· identify changes required by non-users for them to consider using public transport;

· identify likelihood of using buses in the future;

· uncover if those with disabilities, or who travel with young children, or a young child in a push chair experience problems or perceive problems when travelling on local public buses; and

· compare results with previous years and provide recommendations that will inform strategic decision-making processes going forward.

2.1 Key Findings of Bus User Survey

2.1.1 Observations

· The overall performance rating was 80%. This is a value perception rating, combining efficiency, on-board experience and value for money. It was noted that respondents in rural areas are more likely to be satisfied overall with the bus service than their counterparts in urban areas.

o Overall On-board Experience 85%

o Efficient way to Travel 79%

o Value for Money 81% (significant increase from 2018 - 56%)

· Slightly more than three-quarters of users (76%) have evaluated the local public transport service in the region very positively, this is significantly higher than 2018 (56%). Nearly nine in ten (88%) are likely to recommend public transport use to others, again significantly higher than 2018 (77%).

· Seven in ten trips (70%) are associated with: leisure activities (26%); getting to and from work (22%); and shopping (22%). Use of the bus service for leisure activities during the daytime is significantly higher than in peak and non-peak periods. There has been a 7% drop in people using the bus to get to and from work since 2018.

· Respondents in younger age groups (15-44 years) are more likely to take bus trips during peak time than during the daytime, and male respondents are more likely to use public transport on weekends than on weekdays. The results indicate significantly higher female bus use across all time categories for both rural and urban.

· Payment by bus card is significantly higher during peak and non-peak hours than during daytime, whereas the majority of gold card users travel mainly in the daytime. Bus users are more likely to pay for bus services by cash on weekends than on weekdays.

· If there was no bus service available, most users would have used a motor vehicle (62%) this has increased from 47% in 2018. Fewer than two in ten respondents (19%) would have walked if the bus service was not available.

· The convenience of the location of bus stops has the strongest influence on satisfaction concerning the efficiency of a bus trip (78%). An area for improving perceptions is the bus being on time since this attribute has a moderate impact level and a relatively low satisfaction score (59%) albeit an increase from 46% in 2018 was observed.

· Most respondents (85%) think that the mandatory use of face masks or coverings on public bus transport is a good idea and necessary.

2.1.2 Technology

· Almost all respondents (94%) have or know about the Bee Card. Users in the 25-44 age group are more likely to be aware of the Bee Card than older residents.

· 69% of respondents are aware of a free Wi-Fi service on some bus routes with Tauranga respondents being more aware than others. With nearly half (49%) of those who are aware preferring to use a bus with the service on-board.

2.1.3 Suggested improvements

· More bus stops, better bus stop locations, reliability as well as more bus routes and bus connection services, are the most frequent suggestions for improvements to public transport in the region.

2.2 Key Findings of Non-User Survey

2.2.1 Observations

· 64% of respondents in Tauranga stated that the main benefit of PT is the elimination of parking and vehicle costs. This is a significant result as it promotes a combined Council parking strategy.

· 74% of all respondents said that they would consider using the local public bus service in the future (2014-71%). This was fairly evenly spread across age and income demographics. The age groups that had the highest ‘No’ responses were 15-34 and 45-59.

· 58% of respondent’s cite convenience is the main reason for using private transport over public transport.

· The perception that private vehicles are faster than public transport has increased since 2014. The unavailability of a bus service in the area 42%, change in bus route or timetable 22% and lack of bus shelters 8% are other reasons why respondents use private transport instead of local public bus transport.

· Force of habit or personal preference (21%) and private transport being quicker/buses being slow to reach destination (15%) are the top factors in respondents’ perceptions about the convenience of private transport. Just under one in ten (9%) suggested more buses/routes/times would make the local public bus service more convenient.

· Other barriers towards local public bus usage:

o 29% of respondents commented the buses do not run often enough/the timetable does not suit me.

o 29% of respondents said the buses take too long/are not direct.

o 29% of respondents said the bus does not come close to my house/no bus service in the area, with 40% of those saying they would need to walk between 10 and 15 minutes to a bus stop.

o 9% or respondents said they didn’t use buses because they were unreliable.

39% of respondents felt a change of/more routes/direct routes/bus stops/closer bus stops/accessibility/better terminal would make public transport more appealing.

3. Considerations

3.1 Risks and Mitigations

The results were not reflective of the Bay of Plenty demographic with over half respondents 65+ and a low proportion of Māori respondents. Staff are seeking additional sampling options to capture more respondents from younger age groups and also explore the Māori population to better inform improvements to public transport.

3.2 Climate Change

The aim of this section is to ensure your thinking and assumptions around climate change are explicit and to provide visibility as to how our work relates to climate change. Consider:

Use the building block below when considering Climate Change implications.

Crtl + click for guideline material.

Mitigation			Adaptation
Reduce GHG emissions	Produce GHG emissions	Sequester carbon	Anticipate climate change impacts	Respond to climate change impacts
☒	☐	☐	☐	☐

The matters in this report relate to Focus Area 3 (the services we provide as a Regional Council) in the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Climate Change Action Plan and Goal 10 - reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the region.

3.3 Implications for Māori

There are no specific implications for Māori as a result of this report. Implications resulting from projects or items considered in this report will be addressed within those projects or processes. However, we are exploring further engagement in order to obtain a higher proportion of Māori respondents to better reflect the composition of our community.

3.4 Community Engagement

INVOLVE

Whakaura

To work directly with affected communities throughout the process to ensure that their issues and concerns are consistently understood and fully considered in Council’s decision making.

3.5 Financial Implications

There are no material unbudgeted financial implications and this fits within the allocated budget.

4. Next Steps

As noted, staff will explore further engagement and seek additional sampling options to obtain a better cross-section of our community, particularly the younger age groups and the Māori population. These findings will be used to inform high-level decisions associated public transport planning and delivery.

Attachments

Attachment 1 - Bus User Survey 2020 ⇩

Attachment 2 - Non-Bus User Survey 2020 ⇩



Report To:	Public Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	27 November 2020
Report Writer:	James Llewellyn, Transport & Urban Planning Manager
Report Authoriser:	Namouta Poutasi, General Manager, Strategy & Science
Purpose:	To provide councillors with an update on a number of transport and urban planning matters of interest

Transport and Urban Planning Update

Executive Summary

This report provides councillors with an update on a number of transport and urban planning matters of interest:

· Work underway to address concerns around child pedestrian and cyclist safety in Links Avenue, Mount Maunganui.

· Work to address concerns around excessive numbers of buses on Wairakei Avenue and Emerald Shores Drive, Pāpāmoa East.

· The current status of the Te Papa Spatial Plan and Cameron Road Multi-modal Upgrade project.

· Updates on other spatial planning exercises in the Western Bay.

· Discussion of the current alarming rise in incidents of anti-social and criminal behaviour on the bus network.

Recommendations

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Transport and Urban Planning Update.

1. Introduction

This report provides an update on transport and urban planning matters which will be of interest to councillors; specifically:

· Links Avenue petition;

· Wairakei Avenue / Emerald Shores Drive petition;

· Te Papa Spatial Plan / Cameron Road Multi-modal Upgrade project;

· Other spatial planning activity; and

· Anti-social and criminal behaviour on buses.

1.1 Alignment with Strategic Framework

A Vibrant Region	We lead regional transport strategy and system planning, working with others to deliver a safe and reliable public transport system.
The Way We Work	We look to partnerships for best outcomes.

1.1.1 Community Well-beings Assessment

Dominant Well-Beings Affected

¨ Environmental

¨ Cultural

¨ Social

¨ Economic

This document provides an update on key matters of interest to Public Transport Committee members. As such the report does propose any decisions that directly impact the well-beings.

However, any subsequent decision to change bus routes or remove priority lanes will have potentially negative impacts on access to public transport services. Set against that is the need to address any concerns around safety for transport system users, specifically pedestrians and cyclists.

The ongoing spatial planning work will have a strong impact on social well-being, by providing a much greater range of affordable housing options in areas served by frequent public transport.

The most concerning impact on well-being comes from the increase in criminal and anti-social behaviour on the bus network, with our hard-working bus drivers and vulnerable passengers being especially badly affected.

2. Update on Transport and Urban Planning Matters

2.1 Links Avenue Petition

2.1.1 Background

Residents of Links Avenue in Mount Maunganui have been leading a high profile campaign to highlight what they consider to be significant safety risks to children who are using the shared path between Golf Road and Ascot Road (as part of their journey to Mount Maunganui Intermediate school). Residents are concerned that with the high level of demand for walking and cycling on the shared path during school hours, there is a risk of a child falling into the road and being hit by a moving vehicle.

Figure 1: Links Avenue Shared Path (looking eastbound)

Local residents have submitted a petition which calls for changes to the road layout, including removal of the westbound bus lane and a reduction in the number of buses using Links Avenue. The residents state that removal of the bus lane would enable on-street car parking to be re-introduced on the eastbound side of the road; which would provide a buffer between the shared path and the road.

The situation is being exacerbated by significant congestion on parallel State Highway 2 as a result of the Baypark to Bayfair highway project. This congestion means that a lot of traffic is using Links Avenue as a rat run, and thereby increasing the risk of collisions. Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) has increased from 2,982 in 2013 to 5,130 in 2018.

The City Link and Hospital Link bus routes started in December 2018, approximately two months before the bus lane was installed on Links Avenue. Comparing February 2019 with February 2020, patronage on these routes has gone from 35,500 to 44,700 (an increase of 11,000 or 25%). Data for August 2020 shows that there were 5,168 people boarding buses on Links Avenue. Around two-thirds of these passengers are children.

City Council and Regional Council staff met with residents and these discussions formed the basis of a report to the 06 October Tauranga City Council (TCC) meeting. This report set out a wide range of options for addressing the situation, including:

· Closure of Links Avenue to through traffic;

· Erection of barriers adjacent to the shared path;

· Provision of alternative routes to the Intermediate school entrance; and

· Removal of the westbound bus lane and restoration of car parking adjacent to the eastbound shared path.

Regional Council recognises the concerns of residents and is committed to working with TCC to deliver an appropriate solution, which balances the safety and access needs of children who walk, cycle and use the bus.

2.1.2 Options for Bus Services

The most significant concern for residents is the proximity of buses to children using the shared path on the eastbound side of Links Avenue. In order to address these concerns, Regional Council is considering an option to re-route eastbound bus services (towards Bayfair) so that they avoid the section of Links Avenue between Golf Road and Spur Avenue.

This arrangement would involve re-routing buses on to State Highway 2 between the Hewletts Road / Maunganui Road / Golf Road intersection and Spur Avenue. There are 50 trips that would be diverted on the City Link service, and 53 trips on the Hospital Link service. Westbound services are proposed to remain on the entire length of Links Avenue, as they cannot turn left on to State Highway 2 out of Spur Avenue.

NZ Bus have checked to see if their vehicles can safely turn left from State Highway 2 onto Spur Avenue, and then turn right Links Avenue. There is a concrete traffic island at the entrance to Spur Avenue from State Highway 2 which will need to be removed or modified in order to provide sufficient space for buses to turn. Some ‘no parking’ markings on Spur Avenue may also be required in order to make room for turning buses.

There would be no change to the number of trips operated, and in theory no impact on the published timetable. However, there is a risk that congestion on State Highway 2 could result in additional delays to services which are not currently factored into the timetable.

There are four bus stops on the eastbound side of Links Avenue between Golf Road and Spur Avenue (not including the Mount Maunganui Intermediate School bus bay). The distance along Links Avenue from Golf Road to Spur Avenue is 702 metres, although the nearest bus stop would be outside #91 which is 929 metres from the Golf Road end.

If Spur Avenue is able to be used, it may be necessary to move the bus stop at #67 further along Links Avenue so that buses can turn the corner and then stop as soon as it is safe to do so.

As a result of the service diversion, eastbound passengers would need to use the bus stop on Maunganui Road just before Golf Road, or walk along Links Avenue to the first available bus stop (between 720 - 929 metres from the corner). This is a significant increase in distance and risks increasing the level of pedestrian demand along the eastbound shared path.

School bus services 701A (Aquinas College) travels this section of Links Avenue in the morning and 810A (Bethlehem College) travels this section in the afternoon. It will need to be established if students are accessing school services at any of the bus stops in question and (if necessary) re-route these two trips. For Mount Maunganui Intermediate services, all morning buses are travelling westbound so will be unaffected. All afternoon buses could still access Links Avenue from Golf Road, as they come into the school bus bay before students are released from classes.

A group of around 50-70 Mount Maunganui College students are currently walking to the first bus stop on Links Avenue to catch a City Link or Hospital Link bus to Bayfair after school. From the start of the 2021 school year there will be a school bus available for the majority of these students to use (maximum capacity of 55) which should largely alleviate this problem. These students can also use the City Link service which stops on Maunganui Road close to the College.

In principle, there is not likely to be any impact on contract cost, as route mileage and in-service driver hours should be unaffected. However, this assumption may be challenged if there are significant delays to services that are diverted on to State Highway 2.

There will need to be sufficient time to:

· Ensure that there are clear / effective communication of the changes through the media, community forums and the Baybus website; and

· Complete operational tasks including driver instructions, duty sheets, General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS), ticket machine updates, Transit app and Baybus website.

Following any decision to change the services, an absolute minimum of three weeks will be needed to allow time for NZ Bus duty sheets to be reprinted and the route changes to be communicated to all bus drivers. Ticket machines cannot be updated before March 2021; but this would not be a major barrier to implementation.

For their part, TCC will be progressing a number of other proposals for addressing the situation. As the road controlling authority, TCC is under pressure to remove the westbound bus lane in order to address residents’ safety concerns. Regional Council is concerned about the impact of such a proposal on the reliability of bus services, as the lane is doing a very effective job of enabling buses to bypass the peak hour congestion on Links Avenue. Further focus on enabling multimodal approaches including facilitating bus travel through bus lanes is a key focus area for the Waka Kotahi Western Bay of Plenty Mode Shift Plan, the Urban Form and Transport Initiative, and the Western Bay Transport System Plan which contains a target of 30km of bus lanes in the next ten years (from 4.5km). However, the responsibility of the TCC to address safety concerns is fully acknowledged, and Regional Council needs to provide better evidence of the potential service impacts. To that end we are proposing to:

· Obtain data from the Tauranga Traffic Operating Centre (or alternatively undertake specific surveys) on the time savings currently accruing to buses as a result of the priority lane (and hence any impacts of removing this infrastructure); and

· Engage with bus passengers and parents of children who use the services on Links Avenue to understand what is important to them and how any service / infrastructure changes may affect them.

Given the high volume of general traffic along Links Avenue, it is likely that a comprehensive solution covering a range of options will be required.

2.1.3 Wider Service Optimisation

Regional Council also acknowledges the wider factors around ensuring that buses are meeting the needs of the community and optimising the significant investment that has already been made. It is not in anyone’s interest for buses to be poorly patronised, and we recognise that more can be done to address concerns being raised by actual and potential passengers.

Therefore an ‘optimisation review’ of bus routes between Pāpāmoa, Bayfair, Mount Maunganui and Tauranga CBD will focus on a series of key issues, including:

· Needs of existing passengers, occasional passengers and people who do not currently use the bus;

· Frequencies at various times of day and week;

· Service speeds (i.e. express versus stopping services);

· Routing options;

· Interchanges at Bayfair;

· Access to, and location of, bus stops;

· Low cost bus priority and service efficiency improvements;

· Impact on asset condition; and

· Concerns over safety and amenity.

The proposed optimisation approach will feature significant community engagement and will make use of various existing and new forums currently being set up. The intention is that all sections of the community will be able to have their say.

2.2 Wairakei Avenue Petition

2.2.1 Background

Residents of Wairakei Avenue and Emerald Shores Drive in Pāpāmoa East have expressed concerns about the number of buses traversing their streets. Services 33 and 36 together provide a one-way (eastbound) maximum peak hour headway of 15 minutes, and the number of buses is significantly augmented by not-in-service (NIS) running from the depot to the timing point at Emerald Shores Drive.

Residents’ concerns are primarily around the size of the buses and the noise / vibration that they generate. There are also wider issues around roads in the estate not being designed and built to withstand the axle load of a bus, which means that there are now issues around deteriorating condition of the asset. The presence of the Emerald Shores Drive timing point is also problematic because a number of buses congregate at this location, where there are no formal facilities.

There are complaints that many buses are running empty, although this is often the case at the end of a route. Regional Council has been able to provide some initial data from the regional ticketing system (Bee Card) to provide a snapshot of boardings and alightings at each stop.

Figure 2: Summary of Bus Stop Boarding and Alightings (August 2020)

There is pressure on Regional Council to remove buses from Wairakei Avenue and Emerald Shores Drive and route them via Papamoa Beach Road instead. This request is part of a long-standing series of changes to the routing, which go back some years.

2.2.2 Options for Bus Services

Regional Council has recognised that the NIS bus issue is something that can be addressed immediately. We have worked with the bus company to change the timing point from Emerald Shores Drive to Golden Sands Drive, which means that only buses in service should now use Wairakei Avenue.

Since the change on 9 November there has been a significant reduction of Not In Service buses on Wairakei Avenue. Regional Council did track a bus last week undertaking driver training, and we’ve asked NZ Bus to cease using Wairakei Avenue for these purposes.

There are now eleven route 36 trips per day, four between 6.30am and 8.00am, and seven between 4.20pm and 6.47pm (ten in the timetable plus one outbound afternoon trip at school time that is not in the timetable).

There are thirty route 33 trips running every 30 minutes all day, with the first one at 6.00am and the last one at 8.20pm.

Between 8am and 4.20pm there is one bus every 30 minutes running around this loop. There are nine buses between 6am and 8am.

As part of the service optimisation review outlined in section 2.1.3 above, there will be a comprehensive assessment of the future service patterns in the Pāpāmoa East area. If there are residual concerns from residents around the presence of buses on Wairakei Avenue, the review will consider the feasibility, safety and access impact of all options for future routings.

2.3 Te Papa Spatial Plan and Cameron Road Multi-Modal Upgrade Project

2.3.1 Background

Councillors have requested a short briefing on the Te Papa Spatial Plan and proposed Multi-modal Upgrade project at Cameron Road.

2.3.2 Te Papa Spatial Plan

Tauranga City Council (TCC) has produced spatial plan for the Te Papa peninsula which sets the strategic direction for growth over the next 30 years.

The Spatial Plan aims to address key challenges of population growth and housing choice, infrastructure pressure, transport options, cultural wellbeing and the local amenities needed to support communities. The plan outlines the overall approach, priority areas of focus, anticipated benefits and required actions.

The Te Papa Spatial Plan provides a co-ordinated and integrated approach to:

· The way we move around (transport);

· Where we live (urban form);

· Where we work (economy);

· Where we play (open space and community facilities);

· How we are supported (health, social services, commercial activity and education); and

· Who we are (culture and identity).

The spatial plan aims to assist in more efficient use of resources - including infrastructure - and how people live. In turn, this will reduce costs to the community and individuals, as well as providing potential for better use of time and healthier living.

As a non-statutory document, the spatial plan helps to inform key planning processes such as the city plan and its upcoming review, social infrastructure planning, transport planning and councils’ annual and long term plans.

This spatial plan achieves this by identifying actions and projects that are needed to achieve the outcomes for Te Papa.

Figure 3: Te Papa Spatial Plan Area

The Spatial Plan provides an opportunity for Regional Council to work with TCC and developer partners to use public transport services as a catalyst for densification of development. There are a large number of proposed transport projects proposed by the Spatial Plan, which are set out below:

Figure 4: Te Papa Spatial Plan Transport Projects

2.3.3 Cameron Road Multi-modal Upgrade Project

Futureproofing Cameron Road aims at enabling the implementation and benefits of the Te Papa Spatial plan to be realised. Cameron Road is one of the main transport arteries, connecting people in Tauranga’s southern suburbs to the city centre. It is also an important destination for many with schools, businesses and the hospital being located along it.

TCC was successful in securing $45million for the Cameron Road Multi-modal Upgrade project from central government that was part of Crown Infrastructure Projects (CIP) Initiative to support NZ’s recovery from COVID-19. Primarily this was because the project aligns with the government’s overarching objectives including supporting growth, improving safety, providing better alternative transport choices and creating attractive public spaces for the community. Funding is for detailed design and construction of Stage 1 which extends from Harington Street to 17th Avenue, and towards getting the Business Case for Stage 2 (17th Avenue to Barkes Corner, Greerton) underway.

The CIP funding agreement was signed in September 2020 and included conditions on programme delivery, and the scope of the project to be delivered. The form of the corridor will include:

· Installing additional bus clearways which will become dedicated bus lanes in the next 5-10 years;

· Intersection improvements to improve public transport reliability;

· Enhanced bus stops including quality shelters and real-time information;

· Pedestrian crossing facilitates;

· Intersection safety improvements;

· Side street improvements and placemaking; and

· Stormwater quality enhancements; and

· Installing a bi-directional cycleway on the eastern side.

The preliminary design and business case is due for completion in late November 2020. The detailed design is currently being tendered and a contract is expected to be awarded in early December 2020. Public consultation will occur in February 2021, and engagement with community groups and key stakeholders will continue over the coming months as detailed design is underway.

The Cameron Road Multi-modal Upgrade project was supported through UFTI and the TSP multi-partner projects. To ensure the benefits to the public transport services are realised through this investment, there will be continued close collaboration between TCC and Regional Council staff in the development of the design and through construction. There is an opportunity for Regional Council to develop and implement further service optimisation measures for services on Cameron Road.

To meet the funding requirements for works to start by 1 May 2021, an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) model has been adopted, with Downer and Fulton Hogan both being recently appointed as the contractor during the design phase. These contractors will provide constructability reviews, value management services, programme and support stakeholder engagement. A closed tender process will be undertaken in April 2021 to appoint a contractor for the enabling and main works. The main construction works must commence by 1 September 2021, and the project completed by October 2023.

2.4 Other Spatial Planning Activity

The Housing Choice Plan Change, to give effect to the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) and the Te Papa spatial plan, was approved for notification at the 13 October 2020 UFTD meeting. Submissions will occur pre-Christmas.

The plan change:

· Provides for duplex development and terraced housing broadly across the suburban residential areas in Tauranga (up to 3 storeys).

· Excludes areas spatially that are subject to natural hazard risk in accordance with Regional Policy Statement (RPS) where there is currently no identified pathway to achieve RPS compliance. The exclusion areas are predominately on the coastal strip from Golf Road eastward (largely liquefaction risk) but also include some lower lying areas such as parts of Bureta which are at risk from climate change.

· Provides for apartment buildings up to 6 storeys in much of the Te Papa peninsular – especially within the walkable catchment of the future rapid transit corridor of Cameron Road and around the key centres of Greerton, Gate Pā / Hospital and the CBD.

· Provides for additional height in commercial zoned areas along Cameron Road, and provides for better design controls of residential development in commercial zones.

Council has approved the project plan for the City Plan review and that work is underway with an April 2024 date for notifying a new City Plan (subject to potential RMA reform). A key aspect of this project is to work with BOPRC and WBOPDC to align their respective regional and district planning processes.

TCC has a range of additional planning priorities aligned to UFTI that it will be focusing on including:

· Completing the Tauriko West and Te Tumu structure plan and notifying plan changes to rezone these areas for development; and

· Commencing the development of spatial plans to support intensification in the wider Otumoetai / Brookfield / Bellevue and coastal strip areas.

2.5 Anti-social Behaviour and Criminal Activity

The Tauranga bus network is being subject to rapidly escalating levels of anti-social behaviour and crime. In the past, incidents of threatening behaviour and assault on Tauranga buses were rare with around one or two incidents reported by drivers per month.

Since the lockdown period in March / April there has been an increase in this behaviour with almost 20 incidents reported by drivers in September and a further 10 in October. These incidents are occurring across the network, although around 30% of incidents this year have occurred on or around Willow Street.

2.6 Risks and Mitigations

Whilst there are no decisions associated with this report, Table 1 summarises the key risks and mitigation measures against each item:

Table 1: Risks and Mitigation Measures

Item	Risk	Mitigation
Links Avenue Petition	Removal of bus lane as a result of pressure on TCC from the local residents	Provision of data to demonstrate effectiveness of bus lane in delivering reliable services
	Pressure on Regional Council not to “trade-off” safety risk against access	Emphasise that changes to services could increase distances that people (especially children) have to travel to a bus stop, and hence the risk they are exposed to
	Acceding to all residents’ demands creates a precedent for other areas	Whilst any obvious “quick win” changes should be made, emphasise that more fundamental changes to service patterns need to be part of the formal optimisation review process
Wairakei Avenue / Emerald Shores Drive petition	Regional Council is pressured into changes which reduce safe and convenient access to bus stops	The optimisation review process will consider all aspects of the service, and how they can best work for communities
Wairakei Avenue / Emerald Shores Drive petition	Acceding to all residents’ demands creates a precedent for other areas	Whilst any obvious “quick win” changes should be made, emphasise that more fundamental changes to service patterns need to be part of the formal optimisation review process
Te Papa Spatial Plan	The proposed action plan for transport contains a large number of actions and will require involvement from Regional Council staff which is beyond current resource levels	Through the Long Term Plan (LTP) process, additional resources have been identified and requested to enable participation in this work
Criminal and Anti-social behaviour	The levels of stress and anxiety on bus drivers is likely to lead to staff shortages, and industrial action remains a possibility if the situation is not resolved	Close working with NZ Bus and the Police to ensure that drivers have a full range of effective means to report incidents, and are supported in their work through presence of Police / security staff on the buses
Criminal and Anti-social behaviour	Passengers are less likely to want to travel by bus if they are in fear of their safety, and the ongoing situation will compromise efforts to deliver mode shift	A much greater Police / security presence is needed, both at the bus interchange in Willow Street and on the vehicles themselves

2.7 Climate Change

There are no climate change implications directly from this report, other than a general issue that less travel on buses is not going to help the Council in meeting its objective to reduce greenhouse gases.

2.8 Implications for Māori

There are no specific implications for Māori directly from this update report.

2.9 Community Engagement

Community engagement is an ongoing requirement for all of the items in this paper, and will be essential if we are to ensure that bus services meet the needs of communities.

2.10 Financial Implications

There are no budget implications at this stage, although this may change when decisions need to be made.

3. Next Steps

Councillors will continue to receive updates on the above matters, along with any decisions required, at future committee meetings.



Report To:	Public Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	27 November 2020
Report Writer:	Joe Metcalfe, Contractor
Report Authoriser:	Namouta Poutasi, General Manager, Strategy & Science
Purpose:	To provide an update on the Rotorua Public Transport Review.

Rotorua Public Transport Review Update

Executive Summary

The Rotorua Public Transport Review has developed a range of options for investment covering all elements of the public transport system. Each of the options has been assessed for performance against project objectives and financial outcomes with preliminary analysis indicating positive economic returns while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and lifting the level of service for public transport users in Rotorua.

The next planned step in the process is to undertake public consultation to assist in identifying a preferred option and ascertain the community’s willingness to pay for improved levels of service. The current time frame for consultation would see this occur as part of Annual Plan consultation for Year 2 of the Long Term Plan (likely early 2022). These are explored in the attachment to this report.

The consultation timing and approach is consistent with direction from Bay of Plenty Regional Council around public transport funding, which has been received as part of the Long Term Plan 2021-2031 development.

Recommendations

That the Public Transport Committee:

1. Receives the report, Rotorua Public Transport Review Update.

1. Introduction

The purpose of the Rotorua Public Transport Review is to align the public transport system with current policy direction from Council, project partners, and central government. The review aims to provide clear evidence of contribution to positive outcomes / benefits to support public transport investment decisions in Rotorua across a 10-year period.

This report provides an update on progress on the review, a summary of the supporting evidence and preliminary performance for each of the assessed investment programmes.

1.1 Alignment with Strategic Framework

A Vibrant Region

We lead regional transport strategy and system planning, working with others to deliver a safe and reliable public transport system.

1.1.1 Community Well-beings Assessment

Dominant Well-Beings Affected

þ Environmental

Low - Positive

þ Cultural

Low - Positive

þ Social

Medium - Positive

þ Economic

Medium - Positive

Key outcomes sought by public transport planning relate to:

· Environmental – reducing transport emissions, including carbon emissions.

· Cultural – providing transport choices for Māori communities to access essential services, education and employment; and involving Māori in decision-making. Undertaking comprehensive engagement on preferred options with Tangata Whenua and providing opportunity to integrate elements of Te Reo and cultural story telling within the public transport brand and marketing exercises.

· Social – providing sustainable transport choices and opportunities for the community; particularly for those with no or limited alternative means of transport. This is the main contribution to community well-being.

· Economic – potential improvements to economic productivity through the reduction of traffic congestion (where sufficient people change from individual cars to public transport) and supporting access to employment and education opportunities. This is more applicable in dense urban areas. Many of the economic benefits around productivity relate to improved reliability of travel, and better journey times.

2. Rotorua Public Transport Review

A summary is provided below, also refer to the Attachment for further information on the review.

2.1 Review Process

The review has followed the Waka Kotahi business case approach which enables an approved programme of works to access funding from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF).

The review has reached a stage where a short list of four programmes have been evaluated and are largely ready for public consultation to commence, pending development of appropriate consultation materials.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council has not considered a preferred option and funding – this is to be part of Annual Plan 2022/23 consultation (Year 2 of the LTP)

2.2 Links to other projects

The Rotorua Public Transport Review also links to:

· Review of the Regional Public Transport Plan – due to begin early 2021.

· Regional fare review – to be progressed through the review of the Regional Public Transport Plan.

· Travel demand management/behaviour change project – region-wide project to begin early 2021.

· Work by Rotorua Lakes Council on an urban cycle investment programme (Rotorua Cyways).

2.3 Short-listed programmes

From an initial long list of programmes a short list of four programmes has been agreed by the project partners as described in the table below.

Option	Description
Option 1 – Do Minimum	Includes improvements to bus service reliability through an adjusted timetable and implementation of the CBD circular service; providing connectivity to Rotorua Hospital and improving transfers between services. Some minor route changes also implemented to improve connectivity.
Option 4 – Balanced Investment	As per Option 1 two new cross-town service to enhance accessibility to schools and employment areas across the city and reduce the need for transfers in the CBD operating at 30 minute frequencies, frequencies increased to 20 minutes in 2026 Bus priority. Investigations on key corridors completed in 2025 and delivery 2026.
Option 6 – Frequent Buses	Broadly speaking this programme would bring customer level of service in line with those currently available in Tauranga by 2026. Similar to Balanced investment with earlier delivery of improved crosstown services and bus priority measures. Also sees all regular services in Rotorua increase to 20 minute frequencies in 2026
Option 7 – On-Demand Services	Initial trial of on-demand services in a limited area prior to full roll out across the urban area. On-Demand services also supported by new cross-town service for longer journeys. There is some uncertainty as to the potential passenger uptake of on-demand services in urban centres of Rotorua’s size. The initial trial is proposed to gather detailed usage data to make a more informed decision about a more permanent city wide roll-out.

3. Considerations

3.1 Risks and Mitigations

Key opportunities relate to: Central Government zero-carbon bus funding, and urban development integration opportunities. Key risks relate to potential delay in the timing of the new Rotorua Bus contracts, public and stakeholder perceptions. Refer to the risks and risk management section in the Attachment.

3.2 Climate Change

CO₂ emissions	Type of Vehicle
CO₂ emissions	Petrol/Diesel car	Electric car	Diesel Bus	Electric Bus
Range of emissions for vehicle	123 gm CO₂/km (Citroen) – 170 gm CO₂ /km (Kia) – 303 gm CO₂ /km (Ferrari & Chrysler)	71 gm CO₂/km (Leaf) – 120 gm CO₂/km (Tesla S)	200 – 300 gm CO₂/Passenger km	0-30 gm CO₂/Passenger km
Average emissions for vehicle	180 g/km	25 - 50 gm CO₂/km (NZ based energy generation)	250 gm CO₂/Passenger km	10 gm CO₂/Passenger km (Renewable Electric Power)
BOP Regional Population	310,000 (as per 2018 census)
Number of BOP Region Private cars and buses	227,608		920
Average emissions per person for vehicle (for BOP)	132 gm/person	25 gm/person	0.74 gm/passenger km	0.03 gm/passenger km

Sources:

https://www.transport.govt.nz/statistics-and-insights/fleet-statistics/sheet/vehicle-fleet

file:///C:/Users/RehanS/Downloads/MoT-Transport-Outlook.pdf

https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/113716572/the-cleanest-and-dirtiest-car-brands-in-new-zealand#:~:text=The%20research%20shows%20that%20average,falling%20to%20146.3g%2Fkm.

https://www.nextgreencar.com/emissions/

EEA (2013) “Monitoring CO2 Emissions from New Passenger Cars in the EU: Summary of Data for 2012”, European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, Denmark

https://www.stats.govt.nz/tools/2018-census-place-summaries/bay-of-plenty-region

Mitigation			Adaptation
Reduce GHG emissions	Produce GHG emissions	Sequester carbon	Anticipate climate change impacts	Respond to climate change impacts
☒	☐	☐	☐	☐

The planning of public transport services aims to reduce transport emissions.

3.3 Implications for Māori

Improvements to our public transport network via the mechanisms covered in this report have the potential to have positive effects for Māori around accessibility and provision of transport options.

The proportion of Maori in Rotorua provides significant contrast with the general population of New Zealand with 40% of residents identifying as Maori compared with only 16.5% nationally. Improving the quality of public transport will improve access to jobs and education having the potential to enhance the wellbeing of Maori but will require carefully crafted approach that acknowledges the cultural significance of place and people.

3.4 Community Engagement

CONSULT

Whakauiuia

To obtain input or feedback from affected communities about our analysis, alternatives, and /or proposed decisions.

Initial feedback with bus users was undertaken in 2019 and received over 300 responses. Key stakeholder groups have been consulted with through a workshop to identify both the outcomes sort through public transport and the interventions that can be used to achieve these.

The next stage in the development of the Rotorua Public Transport review is to undertake comprehensive public consultation and engagement. This will aim to assess the acceptability and willingness to pay for the improvement of public transport in Rotorua through the identified investment programmes

3.5 Financial Implications

Refer to the attachment for potential financial implications. The funding of public transport options for Rotorua is expected to be consulted on as part of the Annual Plan 2022/23 (Year 2 of the Long Term Plan).

4. Next Steps

With the initial analysis completed the next steps are to:

· Finalise and approve a public consultation plan

· Undertake public consultation

· Identify a preferred option

· Bay of Plenty Regional Council to make investment decision

· Finalise business case for Waka Kotahi investment decision.

Direction from Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Long Term Plan workshops in October 2020 is to undertake consultation as part of the Annual Plan 2022/23. This is likely to take place in approximately 14 months time with earliest delivery of improvements in July 2022.

Attachments

Attachment 1 - 2020-11-5 Rotorua PT Review - update for PTC 27 Nov2020 V2 ⇩



Report To:	Public Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	27 November 2020
Report Writer:	Jessica Easton, Legal and Commercial Manager
Report Authoriser:	Mat Taylor, General Manager, Corporate
Purpose:	To provide an overview of performance monitoring for Public Transport in the Bay of Plenty.

Public Transport Arotake Tuatahi - Performance Monitoring Report July 2020 to September 2020.

Executive Summary

This report provides an overview of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s performance monitoring for Public Transport as set out in the Bay of Plenty Public Transport Plan for the 2020/21 financial year.

Attached as Appendix 1 to this report, is our monitoring report Public Transport Arotake Tuatahi 2020/21 July 2020 to September 2020. Public Transport Arotake brings together information and data for Public Transport across the region and includes the following sections:

· Executive Summary - includes high level patronage overview over the reporting period along with financial and non-financial performance information.

· Public Transport Updates – including updates on bus services, and an overview of patronage, reliability, customer experience, and community engagement.

· An overview of the Regional Integrated Ticketing System and the Bee Card.

· Total Mobility, as well as Education and Road Safety updates – providing an overview of targeted education and road safety interventions to encourage passenger uptake.

· Financial – more detailed financial information for key areas within the Transportation Group of Activities budget.

Recommendations

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Public Transport Arotake Tuatahi - Performance Monitoring Report July 2020 to September 2020..

1. Introduction

Attached as Appendix 1 to this report, is our monitoring report Public Transport Arotake Tuatoru 2020/21 July 2020 to September 2020. Public Transport Arotake brings together information and data for Public Transport across the region.

1.1 Alignment with Strategic Framework

A Vibrant Region

We lead regional transport strategy and system planning, working with others to deliver a safe and reliable public transport system.

1.1.1 Community Well-beings Assessment

Dominant Well-Beings Affected

þ Environmental

Low - Positive

þ Cultural

Low - Positive

þ Social

Medium - Positive

þ Economic

Medium - Positive

2. Public Transport Arotake Tuatahi

2.1 Patronage Highlights

Regional bus patronage over the period of this report was 742,449, an increase of 3.3% on the same period last year and a 5.4% increase on the same period in 2018/19.

In Tauranga, year to date patronage has increased by 5.1% on the same period last year, despite moving back to COVID-19 Alert Level 2 on 12 August 2020. The increase occurred in the month of July which saw a significant spike in patronage (269,927 compared to 217,195 July 2019) due to the free fare month. Other than in February 2020 when the new school term started with free fares, this level of patronage has not been seen since August 2016.

Patronage on school services has continued to be strong with a Quarter 1 increase of 28% on the same period prior year. There were 71,000 trips in August, the highest monthly rate since the trial was introduced.

There were also increases in patronage across a number of the regional services such as Te Puke (+24.15%), Pōtaka (+49.37%) and Matatā (+24.78%). Pōtaka was driven by a 155% increase in SuperGold patronage and Matatā has seen a 49% increase in Concession patronage.

2.2 Budget Update

Revenue at the end of Quarter 1 2020/21 is $0.882m higher than budget due to receiving the Super Gold Card payment earlier than budgeted.

At this early stage of the year our operating expenditure is in line with budget.

Capital expenditure at the end of the year is expected to be on budget as the remaining RITS costs are paid.

2.3 Fare Revenue Update

Waka Kotahi Board approved additional funding from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) to cover the fare revenue shortfall and direct operating cost increases for public transport services as a result of COVID-19, until 31 December 2020 at 100% FAR.

The funding to 31 December 2020 remains in place despite being conditional on the country remaining at alert level 1 throughout that period. However, the funding policy can be reviewed at any stage.

3. Considerations

3.1 Climate Change

Crtl + click for guideline material.

Mitigation			Adaptation
Reduce GHG emissions	Produce GHG emissions	Sequester carbon	Anticipate climate change impacts	Respond to climate change impacts
☒	☐	☐	☐	☐

3.2 Implications for Māori

There are no specific implications for Māori as a result of this report. Implications resulting from projects or items considered in this report will be addressed within those projects or processes.

3.3 Community Engagement

INFORM

Whakamōhio

To provide affected communities with balanced and objective information to assist them in understanding the problems, alternatives and/or solutions.

3.4 Financial Implications

There are no material unbudgeted financial implications and this fits within the allocated budget.

4. Next Steps

As this report is for information only, no further steps are required.

Attachments

Attachment 1 - Public Transport Arotake Tuatahi Q1 20-21 ⇩

Chairperson	Cr Andrew von Dadelszen
Deputy Chairperson	Cr Lyall Thurston
Members	Cr Norm Bruning Cr Jane Nees Cr Stacey Rose Cr Paula Thompson
External Members
Two Tauranga City Council representatives	Deputy Mayor Tina Salisbury on behalf of Mayor Tenby Powell for the period 20 November 2020 to 2 February 2021 Cr Heidi Hughes Cr Larry Baldock (Alternate)
One representative each:
Rotorua Lakes Council	Phill Thomas (Lakes Community Board) Cr Tania Tapsell (Alternate)
Western Bay of Plenty District Council	Mayor Garry Webber
Whakatāne District Council	Mayor Judy Turner Deputy Mayor Andrew Iles (Alternate)
All of whom are voting members.
One NZTA non-voting representative	Natalie van Rossen
Ex Officio	Chairman Doug Leeder
Quorum	Six members, consisting of more than half the number of voting members of which four must be BOPRC members.
Meeting frequency	Quarterly