Open Minutes
Commencing: Wednesday 7 June 2023, 9.30 am
Venue: Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chambers, Regional House, 1 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga and via Zoom.
Chairperson: Cr Andrew von Dadelszen – Bay of Plenty Regional Council Toi Moana (BOPRC)
Deputy Chairperson: Cr Lyall Thurston - BOPRC
Members: BOPRC
Cr Jane Nees
Cr Paula Thompson
Chairman Doug Leeder (Ex-Officio)
Cr Malcolm Campbell
Cr Ken Shirley
Tauranga City Council (TCC)
Commissioner Stephen Selwood (via Zoom)
Whakatāne District Council (WDC)
Cr Andrew Iles
Western Bay of Plenty District Council (WBOPDC)
Mayor James Denyer (via Zoom)
Waka Kotahi Ministry of Transport (Waka Kotahi)
Sarah Roberts – Regional System Design Advisor (Alternate)
In Attendance: Cr Kat Macmillan (via Zoom); Mike Seabourne – Director, Public Transport; Oliver Haycock – Manager, Transport Planning; Melissa Winters – Senior Network Planner; Chris Brewer – Public Transport Operations Manager; Bron Healey – Principal Advisor, Transport; Claudia Cameron – Committee Advisor.
Minute Note: This meeting was livestreamed and recorded and can be accessed on the BOPRC YouTube channel: Public Transport Committee Meeting - 7 June 2023 - YouTube
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That the Public Transport Committee: 1 Accepts the apologies from Mayor Tania Tapsell, Cr Conan O’Brien and Cr Gavin Dennis for absence, and Cr Andrew Iles for late arrival tendered at the meeting. CARRIED |
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Public Transport: Implementation of Government Fare Announcement Verbal Update |
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This item was not included in the Agenda as the information was not available at the required time. |
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That the Public Transport Committee: 1 Accepts the late item, Public Transport: Implementation of Government Fare Announcement Verbal Update; 2 Agrees that the item cannot be delayed as the timeline necessitated an update prior to the next scheduled meeting. CARRIED |
The Public Forum item was agreed to be heard later in the Agenda to accommodate the presenter’s arrival time.
The late item, Public Transport: Implementation of Government Fare Announcement Verbal Update, would be heard after Agenda Item 9.1.
4. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest
None declared.
Minutes to be Confirmed
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Public Transport Committee Minutes - 21 March 2023 Matters Arising In relation to Minute Item 7.2: · Assurance was sought that progress and timelines of the Public Transport Service and Infrastructure Business Case and the Tauranga Public Transport Reference Case be reported to the Public Transport Committee (PTC) · Members raised concern and sought clarification of the interrelation between the Transport System Plan (TSP) and other transport governance committees. |
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That the Public Transport Committee: 1 Confirms the Public Transport Committee Minutes - 21 March 2023 as a true and correct record. CARRIED |
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Chairperson's Report Presented by: Oliver Haycock – Manager, Transport Planning and Chris Brewer – Public Transport Operations Manager Key Points: · An update from the Tauranga Public Transport Joint Committee would be provided at the next PTC meeting · The Investment Audit of BOPRC, undertaken by Waka Kotahi, would be presented to the Risk and Assurance Committee. Implementation of Audit recommendations was underway e.g., reduced frequency of financial processes data input to increase accuracy, although data could still be accessed monthly via the dashboard · Funding had been approved for the on-demand trial in Tauranga South. Staff had commenced work and an update would be provided to the next PTC meeting. Key Points - Members: · Suggested future reports include key learnings from other regions · Recommended staff sufficiently plan for the back payment of bus driver wage additions in preparation for the 2023/24 annual plan process · Sought assurance that the National Ticketing Service (NTS) would cater appropriately for Special Character Schools, as currently provided via Beecard. In Response to Questions: · The Commercial and Procurement team assisted with procuring services and the development of fit for purpose contracts · The NTS would provide a nation-wide ticketing system which incorporated the Regional Integrated Ticketing System (RITS). Resources that were already invested would assist with the transition to NTS. 9.58 am - Cr Andrew Iles entered the meeting. · Acknowledged the eight cash box thefts since 1 April 2023 and noted two incidents had included vandalisation of the on-bus lock box facilities. |
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That the Public Transport Committee: 1 Receives the report, Chairperson's Report; 2 Directs Bay of Plenty Regional Council staff to seek clarification of the Governance structure, roles and responsibilities associated with TSP and other transport governance frameworks; 3 Agrees the Tauranga Public Transport Joint Committee minutes be distributed within the Public Transport Committee agenda. CARRIED |
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Eastern Bay Accessible Transport Trust Update Tabled Document 1 - Public Forum Tabled Document: Waka Eastern Bay Accessible Transport Trust: Objective ID A4389051 ⇨ Presented By: Cr Andrew Iles - Trust Chair |
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· The objectives of the Eastern Bay Accessible Transport Charitable Trust (Waka Eastern Bay) were to provide not-for-profit accessible transport in the Whakatāne area for people with disabilities, the elderly and those in isolated communities · The project had high interest, however growth was subject to funding and volunteer driver availability · The only public transport (PT) options for outlying communities into Whakatāne were morning/afternoon services, which lacked flexibility as patrons must remain in town for the duration of the day. In Response to Questions: · The current sphere of service covered Whakatāne but there was interest in an extension to reach further isolated communities · Intended to ‘fill in the gaps’ between existing services, such as Total Mobility, and noted demand was high. |
Decisions Required
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Tauranga Bus Network Refresh Presentation: Tauranga Bus Refresh 2023 - Consultation Presentation: Objective ID A4392555 ⇨ Presented by: Oliver Haycock – Manager, Transport Planning and Melissa Winters – Senior Network Planner Key Points: · The interactive map was the first of its kind to be used by a NZ Council, it had been well received and would be utilised during the network rollout · Verbal and written responses had been included · Key themes: o Reliability – required accurate timetabling and advanced warning of roading changes o Quality of infrastructure - potential infrastructure locations, identified through the consultation, were being worked through with TCC o Links between key destinations · Concerns included: o Empty buses – which would be addressed through service optimisation o Diesel buses - current buses met Euro 5 emissions standards and the Bus De-Carbonisation Feasibility Study was underway to introduce zero-emission vehicles in line with the Government mandate · Acknowledged the positive collaboration and support from TCC, particularly through the provision of infrastructure to implement the network · Data collection was on-going to monitor patronage changes · September 2023 was the anticipated go-live date for the new network and would be supported by a comprehensive communication plan. Key Points - Members: · The On-Demand Trial must be supported by a clear communication plan that understood the target audience and took on board learnings from previous NZ trials. A seamless transition was required to ensure maximum uptake · Expressed interest for investigating the feasibility of an operating hours extension, and noted the Waikato Regional Council On-Demand evening service trial. In Response to Questions: · A route’s average passenger number had been assessed, and if required, the route repositioned to maximise patronage, e.g., a small diversion to the less frequented morning outbound trips from the CBD, to include school routes, increased resource efficiency. |
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That the Public Transport Committee: 1 Receives the report, Tauranga Bus Network Refresh; 2 Approves the implementation of the proposed network. CARRIED |
11:01 am – The meeting adjourned.
11:16 am – The meeting reconvened.
8. Presentations
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Public Transport Arotake Tuatoru 2022/2023 - Performance Monitoring Report 1 July 2022 to 31 March 2023 Presentation: Public Transport Arotake Tuatoru Presentation - 7 June 2023: Objective ID A4392778 ⇨ Presented by: Chris Brewer - Public Transport Operations Manager |
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Key Points: · Parking charges contributing to increased patronage was based on anecdotal evidence · The change to a through routed system would reduce trips missed due to congestion · New applications for total mobility continued to be received · The Intraregional Network (previously the Tertiary Service) took into consideration the commuters using that service. In Response to Questions: · Work was underway to establish the feasibility of a cashless service.
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That the Public Transport Committee: 1 Receives the report, Public Transport Arotake Tuatoru 2022/23. CARRIED |
9. Consideration of Items not on the Agenda
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Public Transport: Implementation of Government Fare Announcement Verbal Update Presented By: Mike Seabourne – Director, Public Transport |
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· A change to the BOPRC fares policy was required to bring it in line with the Government fares announcement · Options and financial implications would be discussed at an Extraordinary Meeting of BOPRC · RITS Consortium members had concerns over operationalising the fee structure – in particular age verification and the ability to deliver the changes by the 1 July 2023 deadline · Driver safety was of paramount importance - the recent cashbox thefts and the requirement for age verification may necessitate the transition to cashless fares, and understanding the full ramifications of the change would be required · The future move to the National Ticket Solution (NTS) would require national consistency · Patrons utilising the Community Services Card concession often did so through cash sales, and so a transition to cashless must accommodate these patrons · Free fares resulting in security concerns was an issue faced nationally for Public Transport Authorities (PTAs). Key Points - Members: · Other PTAs could have better addressed the security issues and the differentiation between Consortium and non-Consortium members at the recent meeting with the Minister for Transport · Driver cages had been trialled in Auckland and should be considered in the Bay of Plenty, particularly if cash sales were to continue. In Response to Questions: · Beecard had capabilities to include a user’s age removing the need for point of sale age verification by drivers · Clarified that the SuperGold Card provided free PT travel after 9:00 am on weekdays and all weekend. |
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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:
CARRIED |
11:52 am – the meeting closed.
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Chairperson, Public Transport Committee