Agenda of Public Transport Committee - Tuesday, 12 March 2024

Public Transport Committee

Membership

Chairperson	Cr Andrew von Dadelszen
Deputy Chairperson	Cr Lyall Thurston
Members	Cr Malcolm Campbell Cr Jane Nees Cr Ken Shirley Cr Paula Thompson
External Members Two Tauranga City Council representatives One representative each: Rotorua Lakes Council Western Bay of Plenty District Council Whakatāne District Council All of whom are voting members. One Waka Kotahi NZTA non-voting representative	Commissioner Stephen Selwood Commissioner Bill Wasley Cr Conan O’Brien Mayor Tania Tapsell (Alternate) Mayor James Denyer Deputy Mayor John Scrimgeour (Alternate) Cr Andrew Iles Cr Gavin Dennis (Alternate) Susan Collins Sarah Roberts (Alternate)
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

Purpose

Set the strategic and operational direction for approved Regional Council public transport policy and strategy, and monitor how it is implemented.

Role

· Prepare and review the Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan.

· Implement, monitor and review operational public transport policy and plans.

· Implement, monitor and review the Western Bay of Plenty Public Transport Implementation Plan.

· Advocate for public transport with NZTA, territorial authorities and central government.

· Set and monitor targets for public transport in the region.

· Receive reporting on the performance of the Passenger Transport Activity.

· In coordination with the work programme of the Regional Transport Committee, guide and review the public transport components of the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) and make recommendations to Regional Transport Committee for incorporation into the RLTP.

Power to Act

To make all decisions necessary to fulfil the role and scope of the committee subject to the limitations imposed.

Power to Recommend

To Council and/or any standing committee as it deems appropriate.

The Public Transport Committee reports to the Regional Council.

Recording of Meetings

Please note the Public section of this meeting is being recorded and streamed live on Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s website in accordance with Council's Live Streaming and Recording of Meetings Protocols which can be viewed on Council’s website. The recording will be archived and made publicly available on Council's website within two working days after the meeting on www.boprc.govt.nz for a period of three years (or as otherwise agreed to by Council).

All care is taken to maintain your privacy; however, as a visitor in the public gallery or as a participant at the meeting, your presence may be recorded. By remaining in the public gallery, it is understood your consent is given if your image is inadvertently broadcast.

Opinions expressed or statements made by individual persons during a meeting are not the opinions or statements of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Council accepts no liability for any opinions or statements made during a meeting.

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 - 14 November 2023	As noted in the relevant Minutes.	As noted in the relevant Minutes.	To remain in public excluded.
10.2	Public Excluded Tauranga Public Transport Joint Committee Minutes	As noted in the relevant Minutes.	As noted in the relevant Minutes.	To remain in public excluded.

Public Transport Committee Minutes

14 November 2023

Public Transport Committee

Open Minutes

Commencing: Tuesday 14 November 2023, 9.30 am

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

Chairperson: Cr Andrew von Dadelszen – Bay of Plenty Regional Council Toi Moana (BOPRC)

Deputy Chairperson: Cr Lyall Thurston – BOPRC (via Zoom)

Members: BOPRC

Cr Jane Nees

Cr Paula Thompson (via Zoom)

Cr Malcolm Campbell

Cr Ken Shirley

Tauranga City Council (TCC)

Commissioner Stephen Selwood (via Zoom)

Rotorua Lakes Council (RLC)

Mayor Tania Tapsell (via Zoom)

Cr Conan O'Brien – Alternate (via Zoom)

Whakatāne District Council (WDC)

Cr Gavin Dennis - Alternate

Western Bay of Plenty District Council (WBOPDC)

Mayor James Denyer

New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (Waka Kotahi)

Sarah Roberts – Regional System Design Advisor (Waikato Bay of Plenty)

In Attendance: Cr Stuart Crosby - BOPRC; Cr Ron Scott – BOPRC; Cr Kat Macmillan – BOPRC (via Zoom); Mike Seabourne – Director, Public Transport; Oliver Haycock – Manager, Transport Planning; Stuart Nightingale – Manager, Transport Operations; Bron Healey – Principal Advisor, Transport; Claudia Cameron – Committee Advisor.

Apologies: Jess Andrew – Waka Kotahi and Deputy Mayor Andrew Iles – WDC

Minute Note: This meeting was livestreamed and recorded and can be accessed on the BOPRC YouTube channel: Public Transport Committee Meeting - 14 November 2023 (youtube.com)

1. Apologies

Resolved

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Accepts the apology from Jess Andrew and Deputy Mayor Andrew Iles for absence tendered at the meeting.

Nees/Denyer

CARRIED

2. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest

None declared.

3. Minutes

Minutes to be Confirmed

3.1

Public Transport Committee Minutes - 12 September 2023

Resolved

That the Public Transport Committee:

Confirms the Public Transport Committee Minutes - 12 September 2023 as a true and correct record.

Denyer/Campbell

CARRIED

4. Presentations

4.1

Public Transport Arotake Tuatahi (Q1) Performance Monitoring Report 2023/2024

Presentation: Public Transport Arotake Tuatahi (Q1) Performance Monitoring Report 2023/24: Objective ID A4530630

Presented by: Stuart Nightingale - Manager, Transport Operations and Mike Seabourne – Director, Public Transport

Key Points:

· Patronage had increased year on year, including Total Mobility concession trips

· Congestion was a key contributor to customer experience complaints

· There had been an increase in Bee Card usage particularly from seniors. The low tertiary student use was likely due to a lack of Bee Card machines on those routes, new Bee Card machines would not be installed as the National Ticketing Solution would replace Bee Card machines.

Key Points - Members:

· Data should be used to maximise efficiency of service and network

· Suggested future Public Transport Arotake reports include:

o A breakdown of cost per passenger per route to identify and improve capacity utilisation and value for money

o Routes identified by name as well as number in Appendix 2: Patronage by Route.

09:36 am – Mayor Tania Tapsell withdrew from the meeting.

· There had been a substantial increase in cost for the Total Mobility service beyond the anticipated increase, due to patronage increases. Investigation was required to analyse its use, benefits and cost. Suggested utilising the research of Carole Gordon, particularly in the area of aging population growth in Western Bay of Plenty

· The Community Transport Forum could improve communication between not for profit community groups (such as Waka Eastern Bay) and service providers (Total Mobility) to share learnings

· Concern was raised that routes continuing to operate on a weekend timetable during the week (routes 1, 72a, 72b and 62) may disadvantage members of the community.

09:59 am – Mayor Tania Tapsell entered the meeting.

· The completion of Cameron Road Stage One and the Baypark to Bayfair Link would remove two congestion bottlenecks in the area and likely improve the system

· Bluetooth sensors recently purchased by TCC would assist with information aggregation and presentation regarding network reliability.

In Response to Questions:

· Total Mobility:

o There was a rigorous application process for Total Mobility

o Less than ten applicants to the Total Mobility Scheme had not met the eligibility criteria in 2023

o There was a $47/day cap for use per member

· Staff were ascertaining the level of service required for fixed routes with lower demand

· The Tauranga Network Refresh had been paused due to budgeting/contract constraints. Network optimisation would be the goal going forward which would involve incremental changes to increase efficiencies. Budget would be set aside each year for network improvements

· The consultation material gathered during the Tauranga Refresh Submission period would be supplemented by additional customer feedback to shape network changes

· There was a challenge with data reliability gathered via Bee Card as some users did not tag on/off

· Members of the Public Transport Committee (PTC) had access to the LeapThought Patronage Dashboard which showed data including network reliability, punctuality and patronage.

Resolved

That the Public Transport Committee:

1. Receives the report, Public Transport Arotake Tuatahi (Q1) Performance Monitoring Report 2023/2024;

2. Directs Staff to conduct an analysis of the Total Mobility service, which highlights costs and benefits of the service.

von Dadelszen/Nees

CARRIED

5. Verbal Updates

5.1

Director's Update - BOPRC Long Term Plan 2024-2034 Update

Presented by: Mike Seabourne - Director, Public Transport

Key Points:

· The BOPRC Long Term Plan (LTP) was still under development

· Once LTP priorities were established, the PTC would have an opportunity to discuss and prioritise the public transport work programme.

6. Reports

6.1

Chairperson's Report

Presented by: Stuart Nightingale - Manager, Transport Operations and Mike Seabourne – Director, Public Transport

Key Points:

· The Tauranga and Rotorua refreshes had both been paused

· The Tauranga on-demand trial had completed procurement and was progressing well

· A security incident had occurred, this provided an opportunity to reflect and reassess to ensure current procedures and levels of service were acceptable.

Key Points - Members:

· Emphasised the need for a strong education phase prior to the commencement of the on-demand trial, in particular to assist the elderly population with use of the service. Suggested the use of information collateral, not just the reliance on digital information sharing

· Learnings could be taken from the establishment of Waka Eastern Bay, which had successfully launched an on-demand style system in the Eastern Bay of Plenty for accessible transport.

In Response to Questions:

· When the on-demand trial commenced, current route 51 would be removed and there would be changes to routes 1 and 59. The changes would be well promoted

· Staff would keep the PTC appraised of the on-demand communications/education information and patronage data, particularly in comparison to the fixed routes it was replacing

· The Bus Driver Terms and Conditions Memorandum of Understanding was in place to guarantee driver wages into the future. The back dated driver pay was budgeted for by BOPRC and partially funded by Waka Kotahi. Staff would confirm whether the backpay also applied to those who were no longer employed as bus drivers

· There were aspects of the Activities Procurement Strategy Review which were reliant on precursor questions. This was due to the Sustainable Public Transport Framework providing the ability to change the way public transport was operated. Information would be brought to the PTC during the review.

Resolved

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Chairperson's Report.

von Dadelszen/Campbell

CARRIED

Decisions Required

6.2	Tauranga & Western Bay of Plenty Ferry Feasibility Study - Final Report Presented by: Bron Healy - Principal Advisor, Transport and Oliver Haycock – Manager, Transport Planning Key Points: · The feasibility study had highlighted significant investment requirements and the cost was proportionally high for a single origin/destination mode · It was considered a better use of resources to improve the current bus network before investing into a new mode · Noted this was a feasibility study, before any work to implement a service could commence, a significant business case would be required to source funding from Waka Kotahi · There was a difference in level of service expectations for a public transport ferry service compared to a seasonal, small scale, temporary ferry service which had operated previously – this meant additional infrastructure was required. Key Points - Members: · Interest was expressed from members for a potential operation in the future, but the feasibility study had shown the project to be uneconomic and unaffordable currently · Identified there may be demand for the service beyond commuters, such as retirees, questioned whether a market segmentation study had taken place to identify additional demand. 10:49 am - Mayor Tania Tapsell withdrew from the meeting. · There was a risk congestion on State Highway (SH) 2 may deteriorate in the future and bus reliability was impacted by congestion · Noted that nothing precluded the PTC revisiting this topic in the future if required, via a future report or notice of motion. In response to Questions: · Corridor improvements were underway for SH2 · The Ōmokoroa and Western Bay bus services were were due to be investigated for potential improvements in the 2024 work programme · The study did not prevent a commercial operator running a ferry service.
	Moved That the Public Transport Committee: 1. Receives the report, Tauranga & Western Bay of Plenty Ferry Feasibility Study - Final Report; 2. Endorses the final Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty Ferries Feasibility Study; 3. Agrees to defer any further investigations into Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty ferry services until the development of 2027 long terms plans and the 2027-30 National Land Transport Programme. Selwood/Campbell
	The following amendment was put. That the Public Transport Committee: 1. Agrees to maintain a watching brief on SH2 congestion and consider the potential to set up a do minimum ferry service should the peak journey times deteriorate significantly, otherwise defer any further investigations into Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty ferry services until the development of 2027 long terms plans and the 2027-30 National Land Transport Programme. Denyer/Nees LOST The amendment was lost by a show of hands.
	The original motion was then put. Resolved That the Public Transport Committee: 1. Receives the report, Tauranga & Western Bay of Plenty Ferry Feasibility Study - Final Report; 2. Endorses the final Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty Ferries Feasibility Study; 3. Agrees to defer any further investigations into Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty ferry services until the development of 2027 long terms plans and the 2027-30 National Land Transport Programme. Selwood/Campbell CARRIED The original motion was carried by a show of hands.

11:11 am – the meeting adjourned.

11:27 am – the meeting reconvened.

Information Only

6.3

Tauranga Public Transport Joint Committee Minutes

Presented by: Mike Seabourne - Director, Public Transport

Resolved

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Tauranga Public Transport Joint Committee Minutes.

von Dadelszen/Selwood

CARRIED

7. 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
7.1	Public Excluded Public Transport Committee Minutes - 12 September 2023	As noted in the relevant Minutes.	As noted in the relevant Minutes.	To remain in public excluded.
7.2	Tauranga Public Transport Joint Committee Public Excluded Minutes	As noted in the relevant Minutes.	As noted in the relevant Minutes.	To remain in public excluded.

Dennis/von Dadelszen

CARRIED

11:30 am – the meeting closed.

Confirmed

Cr Andrew von Dadelszen

Chairperson, Public Transport Committee



Report To:	Public Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	12 March 2024
Report Authoriser:	Mike Seabourne – Director, Public Transport

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:

· National and local context including Emerging Issues, Public Transport Performance - Arotake, Procurement, Passenger Experience, Network Development Planning, Policy and Planning, Fares - Revenue and Innovation.

Recommendations

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Chairperson's Report.

1. Purpose

The purpose of this report is to make Committee members aware of items of interest in relation to public transport.

2. Matters of Potential Interest

2.1 Emerging Issues

2.1.1 Bay of Plenty Regional Tertiary Commuter Services

A separate paper has been put to the PTC for consideration later in this meeting.

2.1.2 Tauranga School Services

The provision of Schools Services has once again come to our attention due to the volume and nature of complaints received recently from parents and school managers. Predominately these relate to accounts of students having been prevented from boarding due to the school buses already being full, as well as matters of student’s safety due to assertions of overloading.

The Transport Operations team investigate each complaint and apply due diligence to verifying the facts. The information obtained is necessary in providing the team with the evidence required to make well-informed decisions.

It is noted from the latest Arotake report that patronage of the school network at Tauranga has increased 43%, a significant increase and this is supported by what we have seen on the network this new school term. Overall patronage has increased 39.2% for the same period last year, this is also a significant uptake in services which is very positive.

In terms of context however, it is noted that at this time last year we were operating a reduced timetable due to driver shortages and since May ’23 we have been operating an increased hybrid timetable, pending a wider Tauranga Network Refresh.

In addressing the present situation, a number of considerations are given in establishing a basis for deciding whether to provide extra dedicated school buses or not.

Apart from strategic, political, and reputational considerations we must also consider financial implications and the many factors to consider from an operational perspective.

Whilst investigating some immediate solutions, the wider Transport team will commence a full review of Tauranga school services this year. Any opportunities to identify potential improved efficiencies and a potential rationalisation of services utilising the urban network will be examined in depth.

2.2 Procurement Programme

The Transport team have developed a draft procurement strategy and have also created processes to ensure that the contract procurement is carried out in a timely fashion.

To provide time to commence and complete re-procurement activities, we have requested extensions on all contracts expiring 2023-24 from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.

Careful consideration is being given now in respect to planning for contracts due to expire in the next few years.

2.3 Operations – Passenger Experience

2.3.1 Total Mobility

In November 2023, this committee directed staff to conduct an analysis of the Total Mobility Service, and to highlight the costs and benefits of the service. To this end, there is a separate report and presentation on this topic later in this meeting.

2.4 Network Development Programme

2.4.1 Tauranga South On-Demand Trial

Baybus OnDemand is due to launch on 25 March 2024. It is a trial service, with funding to run for 18-months.

The service will operate Monday - Sunday: 6am to 7pm. The service will operate on all NZ Public Holidays excluding Good Friday and Christmas Day.

What problems are the trial looking to address?

· Some suburbs are challenging to serve with conventional fixed route public transport, making the provision of convenient public transport services difficult.

· The current public transport level of service equates to low levels of off-peak and weekend patronage.

· It is challenging for conventional fixed route buses to get close to key destinations (such as shopping centres), creating accessibility challenges for public transport customers.

· Services with low levels of patronage require higher levels of subsidy to operate, and the efficiency of alternative services delivery models is not fully understood within a Tauranga context.

What are the objectives of the trial?

· An increase in public transport patronage within the trial area.

· An increase in customer satisfaction.

· Better accessibility via public transport and active modes.

· A clearer understanding of the costs and benefits associated with an alternative service model for the delivery of public transport in the context of the Tauranga urban area.

What is On-Demand?

Unlike conventional bus services, on-demand services have flexible routes and timetables which change dynamically based on the location and destinations of passengers who book a trip. This provides a much more tailored service to customers, especially in areas that are challenging to serve with conventional buses.

Where will the Tauranga South On-Demand Trial Operate?

Customers will be able to use Baybus OnDemand between locations within the catchment area shown on the map below. From the North, it starts at 17^th Avenue, and covers the city heading south. This encompasses the suburbs of Gate Pa, Parkvale, Greerton, Pyes Pa, The Lakes & Tauriko.

Key locations within this area include:

· Tauranga & Grace Hospitals

· Tauranga Crossing

· Fraser Cove

· Greerton & Gate Pa shops

· Tauranga Historic Village

· Pyes Pa Memorial Park

· Numerous schools and retirement complexes

Customers will not be able to start or end their journey outside of this area. Should customers wish to travel further, they will be encouraged to connect with the urban bus network. Customers will not be able to book journeys outside of the area, so will know this in advance of travelling.

For most customers, OnDemand offers a “corner-to-corner” experience. For customers with accessibility requirements, “door-to-door” journeys will be offered wherever possible.

Baybus OnDemand Vehicles

Five vehicles will support the service and will be operated by Ritchies (Ritchies Transport Holdings Ltd). Ritchies were awarded the vehicle operation contract following a competitive tender process.

Ritchies have chosen to utilise brand new vehicles to operate the OnDemand trial. These are fully electric LDV Cargo vans, which have undergone conversion to mini-buses. Four vehicles have a passenger carrying capacity of nine. One vehicle has been fitted with a wheelchair hoist, and has a carrying capacity of five passengers, plus one wheelchair.

The vehicles have sufficient space for hand luggage. Service dogs can also be accommodated. OnDemand vehicles will be unable to transport bicycles or battery powered mobility scooters.

The vehicles will be stabled and charged within the Tauranga Crossing site. Operating a fully electric fleet has been possible with the support of Mercury, who have sponsored the trial, supporting with the provision of charging infrastructure (with their partner Hikotron) and supply of power.

How will customers book Baybus OnDemand trips?

OnDemand trips must be booked. Due to the dynamic nature of the service routing, there is no ability for customers to “turn up and go”.

Customers will have the option to request a trip “now” or book a trip for a future date & time (up to a maximum of 7 days).

Group bookings will be accepted up to a maximum of 6 people (main passenger + 5 additional passengers).

Customers will be encouraged to book trips through the Baybus OnDemand app. This will offer the best experience for customers, as booking will be quick and the information can be sent to customers in real time to provide updates on aspects of their trip.

The experience will be similar to services offered by companies such as Uber, with the app advising the customer where to wait and the estimated arrival time of the service at the designated pick-up point.

There will also be the option for customers to book via the BOPRC call centre (Monday to Friday 6:00am to 6:00pm only). Outside of these times, unless trips are pre-booked, booking will only be possible through the app. This decision was made due to the costs associated with providing an out of hours call centre. Customer feedback relating to this will be monitored during the trial.

Locations such as libraries, pharmacies, supermarkets and retail stores within the catchment area have been supplied with information as to how they can “book on behalf” for their clients, customers and the general public. This is to support customers who may not feel comfortable using the app, or if they encounter an unfortunate situation such as their cell phone batteries going flat. Locations that offer this service will display a Baybus OnDemand “Book on Behalf” sticker/poster in their window. Like the call centre, this service will only be available Monday to Friday, 6:00am to 6:00pm.

If a customer requests a trip “now”, the OnDemand algorithm will assign a vehicle to their trip and estimate a collection time. Vehicle routes will alter dynamically to collect and drop off multiple customers in an efficient manner. The collection time will be dependent on the current level of demand for the service, the network conditions and location of the vehicles. It is envisaged that the average wait time for a vehicle should be 15 minutes or less, and this will be monitored during the trial.

If customers state that they have a wheelchair/pram requirement, they will be assigned the wheelchair accessible vehicle.

The digital technology platform supporting the operation of the service is provided by Via (Via Mobility LLC).

Fares and Ticketing

The standard Tauranga urban fare structure will apply for Baybus OnDemand services, including concessions and free transfers. Vehicles will be fitted with Beecard readers.

Customers booking through the app will also have the option to pay via credit/debit card. Credit/debit cards will only be charged after a customer has completed the ride, and there will be no charge for cancelled rides.

Cash will not be accepted on OnDemand services.

Other Network Changes Associated with the OnDemand Trial

Route 51 (Pyes Pa – Tauranga Crossing) will be suspended during the trial period, as this service is wholly within the OnDemand area. This route does not currently experience high patronage. OnDemand should provide current Route 51 customers will a far superior and more convenient service offering.

It is currently not proposed to alter the other fixed route services operating in the area:

· Route 1 (Pyes Pa – Greerton – CBD)

· 52x (The Lakes – CBD express via Takitimu Drive)

· CT (Tauranga Crossing – Greerton – Bayfair)

It is also not proposed to alter any of the dedicated school services operating in the area. Due to the capacity constraints of the OnDemand vehicles, it is not envisaged that OnDemand will be used extensively for school travel.

Funding & Financing

BOPRC agreed to fund the OnDemand trial as part of the 2023/24 Annual Plan, with money sourced from reserves set aside to fund projects contributing toward the delivery of the UFTI Medium Scenario. Over the duration of the trial period, this equates to $977k.

Financial support is also being provided by NZTA Waka Kotahi, through the “Low Cost, Low Risk” framework. Their contribution is capped at $1.0m over the duration of trial period.

To support the delivery of a fully electric service, Mercury have sponsored the trial, supporting with the provision of charging infrastructure (with their partner Hikotron) and supply of power.

Progress & Next Steps

Driver, Operations Team and Contact Centre staff training was completed in early March. System testing also started earlier this month, including dry runs for drivers, and testing of the booking and payment systems.

The communications plan to support the launch of the trial is currently being executed. The app will be available in app stores from Monday 18 March, which kicks off a soft launch before the official launch date of 25 March. The soft launch week includes our Roadshow, which targets several significant locations within the zone of operation. Committee members are warmly invited to join staff at any of the Roadshow events, if they wish.

Staff will be monitoring a variety of data to understand the extent to which the trial is delivering against its objectives. This will be reported to the Public Transport Committee throughout the duration of the trial.

2.4.2 Tauranga Phase 2 Refresh

Staff developed a plan to refresh bus routes in the Western suburbs of Tauranga in 2023, which included a public consultation exercise. The implementation of the network refresh was ultimately paused, as the operational cost of the new network exceeded the funding allocated to the project.

The higher costs were primarily due to the additional time required in timetables to make services reliable, due to the system-wide traffic congestion being experienced. The timetable therefore required a higher number of drivers and vehicles to operate.

Traffic congestion issues were not as systemic when the current timetable was last updated in 2021, with the situation reflecting the high volume of road work sites across the city.

Funding to progress this refresh has been requested from BOPRC’s Long Term Plan (LTP) and the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP).

2.4.3 Rotorua Refresh

The Central Government decision to cancel the Transport Choices funding package has led to this project being paused, while funding from other sources is sought (BOPRC’s Long Term Plan (LTP) and the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP)).

Should the project not be successful in achieving the funding required, staff will look to develop alternative proposals for the Committee’s consideration.

2.4.4 Eastern Bay Refresh

Staff have begun scoping a project to consider refreshing bus routes in the Eastern Bay. It is anticipated that this work will progress over the course of 2024.

2.4.5 Western Bay Refresh

Staff will shortly begin scoping a project to consider refreshing bus routes in the Western Bay.

2.5 Policy and Planning Programme

2.5.1 Regional Land Transport Plan

The Draft Regional Land Transport Plan for 2024-2034 opened for public consultation on 23 February and will run through to 24 March. While this document is developed and overseen by the Regional Transport Committee, staff will keep the Public Transport Committee abreast of any updates or implication of relevance.

2.6 Fares, Revenue and Innovation

2.6.1 Community Connect

A separate paper has been put to the PTC for consideration later in this meeting.

2.6.2 Regional Fares Review

Staff have begun scoping a project to review public transport fares across the region. It is anticipated that this work will progress over the course of 2024.



Report To:	Public Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	12 March 2024
Report Writer:	Bron Healey, Principal Advisor, Transport
Report Authoriser:	Michael Seabourne, Director, Public Transport
Purpose:	To present a draft Action Plan to the Committee for approval

Regional Public Transport Plan 2022-32 - Draft Action Plan

Executive Summary

The operative Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan 2022-32 (RPTP) commits to developing an implementation plan for RPTP policies actions and performance measures. The draft Action Plan attached to this report has been developed to meet this requirement.

The RPTP Action Plan provides a roadmap for RPTP implementation and enables BOPRC and partner agencies to take a structured and informed approach leading into the next RPTP review.

The PTC will oversee delivery of the Action Plan, recognising that a partnership approach across agencies is critical to RPTP implementation.

The RPTP contains 52 policies and 55 actions. However, many are inter-related meaning a smaller number of projects or activities are required to collectively implement them. Analysis suggests that that projects or activities that are either currently being delivered or proposed in the BOPRC transport programme will implement the vast majority or policies and actions in the RPTP. The key operating assumption is that these activities will continue to be included in the BOPRC transport programme and resourced in the BOPRC LTP.

Project managing the Action Plan will require a modest additional resource allocation from within the BOPRC transport team.

The Action Plan includes a monitoring framework, proposing that it is integrated into the existing Arotake monitoring report to avoid duplication. The Action Plan also proposes moving to a six-yearly cycle of comprehensive RPTP reviews timed to coincide with future RLTP development processes, supplemented by mid-term technical reviews focused on essential updates to the RPTP.

The recommendation is that Committee approves the Action Plan.

Recommendations

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Regional Public Transport Plan 2022-32 - Draft Action Plan;

2 Approves the Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan 2022-32 – Action Plan.

1. Introduction

The Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan 2022-2032 (RPTP) was approved by the Regional Council and became operative in September 2022.

The RPTP commits to developing an implementation plan for RPTP policies and actions, noting that the implementation plan is to establish costs and timeframes for the delivery of actions, while taking into account available resources. The plan is also to include a monitoring framework for performance measures in the RPTP. The draft Action Plan attached to this report has been developed to meet those requirements.

In terms of scope, it should be noted that many of the RPTP actions reference projects or activities in the BOPRC transport programme or in the programmes of other organisations. The RPTP Action Plan provides a framework for tracking their progress but they are being delivered as independent projects in their own right.

The key assumption in the Action Plan is that these activities will be budgeted in the transport programmes of BOPRC and partner agencies, and resourced accordingly in their respective Long Term Plans (LTPs).

1.1 Legislative Framework

The Land Transport Management Act (LTMA) provides the legislative framework for RPTPs. The RPTP is a statutory requirement of the LTMA and a regional council must adopt an RPTP if it intends to enter into contracts for the supply of public transport services. The statutory purpose of the RPTP in the LTMA is to provide:

· a means for encouraging regional councils, territorial authorities, and public transport operators to work together in developing public transport services and infrastructure; and

· an instrument for engaging with the public in the region on the design and operation of the public transport network; and

· a statement of:

o the public transport services that are integral to the public transport network,

o the policies and procedures that apply to those services, and

o the information and infrastructure that support those services.

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.

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

Public transport planning and delivery has positive social and economic outcomes for our communities. Well planned and effective public transport enables people of all ages and abilities to access a wide range of social and economic activities.

Public transport contributes to positive environmental outcomes through reduced transport emissions when people choose to take public transport instead of private vehicle trips. These environmental outcomes are further enhanced when the public transport trip is in a zero emission vehicle.

Public transport also contributes to positive cultural outcomes (refer to the Implications for Māori section of this report).

2. Draft Action Plan Summary

2.1 Purpose

The Action Plan has been developed to ensure the RPTP is successfully implemented and meets its key objectives. The Action Plan supplements the RPTP, providing more detail on how it will be implemented. It is primarily structured around the policies and actions in the RPTP.

2.2 Governance and management

The Bay of Plenty Public Transport Committee (PTC) prepared the RPTP for approval by the Regional Council and is therefore the appropriate governance body for approving and overseeing the Action Plan.

The PTC is a committee of the Regional Council but also includes members from Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Rotorua Lakes Council, Whakatane District Council and Waka Kotahi.

As lead agency, the Regional Council is primarily responsible for ensuring the RPTP is implemented. However, the RPTP (and the Action Plan) reference policies and actions that cover both services and infrastructure. This means that a partnership approach across agencies is critical to ensuring the RPTP is successfully implemented.

2.3 Implementation approach

The RPTP Action Plan provides a roadmap for RPTP implementation and enables BOPRC and partner agencies to take a structured and informed approach leading into the next RPTP review.

The six focus areas identified in the RPTP (Figure 1) provide the themes that anchor the implementation approach, defining how BOPRC works with partners to deliver the key components of the Plan. RPTP implementation is then structured around the delivery of objectives, policies, actions and measures referenced in the RPTP.

Figure 1 RPTP focus areas

2.4 Resourcing

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council Long Term Plan (LTP), the RLTP and the NLTP determine the level of resource available for implementing and reviewing the RPTP. The proposed budget covers the following functional areas:

· project managing implementation;

· providing technical advice and analysis to support implementation;

· monitoring and reporting progress;

· research and analysis to implement the current RPTP and prepare for the next review; and

· the next RPTP review.

Analysis of the overall RPTP implementation programme in the Action Plan suggests that project managing RPTP implementation (including the monitoring framework) will require the additional allocation of 0.25 FTE (10hrs/wk) from within the BOPRC transport planning team.

The RPTP contains 52 policies and 55 actions. However, many are inter-related meaning a smaller number of projects or activities are required to collectively implement them. Detailed analysis indicates that projects or activities that are either currently being delivered or proposed in the BOPRC transport programme will implement the vast majority or policies and actions in the RPTP. The key operating assumption is that these activities will continue to be included in the BOPRC transport programme and resourced in the BOPRC LTP.

There are a smaller number of key activities for RPTP implementation being delivered by the transport programmes of partner agencies or organisations. Continued delivery of these programmes is critical to ensuring the RPTP meets its objectives.

There are also several RPTP projects or activities that BOPRC is not proposing to implement at this point in time due to the need to find cost efficiencies in the transport programme. These activities have not been proposed (or progressed further) in the BOPRC LTP development process. The Action Plan identifies these activities along with estimates of the additional costs to implement them.

2.5 Monitoring and review

The proposed monitoring framework covers the performance measures listed in the RPTP, including the targets set to measure the achievement of the seven key RPTP objectives. This framework will be integrated within the Arotake public transport monitoring report to ensure there is ‘one source of truth’ for all BOPRC public transport performance measures.

The Action Plan proposes moving to a six-yearly cycle of comprehensive reviews timed to coincide with future RLTP development processes, thus enabling joint consultation. This will present a more coherent set of transport proposals to the public while reducing the time and cost of duplicate processes. These comprehensive reviews would be supplemented by mid-term technical reviews limited in scope to essential updates to the RPTP.

3. Considerations

3.1 Risks and Mitigations

The following table shows the most significant risks and mitigating actions that have been identified for RPTP implementation.

*Risk*	*Mitigations*
RPTP implementation loses momentum or work is deferred because it is considered to be ‘non-urgent’.	· Champion RPTP implementation as a priority in the Council work programme · Highlight the promise to the community in the RPTP
No transport planning resource allocated to manage RPTP implementation	· As above.
Key transport programmes or activities are removed from the BOPRC programmes during the LTP development process.	· Highlight the inter-dependencies between these activities in the Action Plan and their importance for delivering on RPTP objectives.
Partner agencies are unable or unwilling to deliver projects or programmes that are critical to achieving n improved public transport system.	· Maintain collaborative relationships and remain focused on the collective benefits of achieving RPTP objectives. · Continue to support integrated transport planning initiatives in the region.

3.2 Climate Change

Public transport contributes to reduced GHG emissions because many people in one vehicle produce less emissions than the same number of people in several cars. GHG emissions are reduced further when the public transport trip is in a zero emission vehicle.

Managing the transition to a decarbonised public transport fleet is one of the key activities identified in the RPTP Action Plan.

3.3 Implications for Māori

Public transport has positive effects for Māori through improved accessibility and choice of transport options. This enables Māori to have better access to essential services and opportunities, including employment, education and health care both within major urban centres and between smaller settlements and larger centres.

The RPTP includes a policy and supporting actions to develop effective partnerships with Māori and enable the co-design of services where possible.

3.4 Community Engagement

INFORM

Whakamōhio

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

The operative RPTP underwent a full public consultation process in 2022. The Action Plan implements the direction in the RPTP. However, there would be value in keeping the public informed on RPTP implementation by making the Action Plan publicly available on the BOPRC website.

3.5 Financial Implications

If the recommendation is adopted by Council, will it result in:

If the answer is ‘no’ to both questions please select the dropdown option 1 and complete appropriately.

If the answer is ‘yes’ to either question please select “Budget Implications” in the building block below and liaise with your Management Accountant in order to complete the Financial Impact table.

The financial implications of RPTP implementation are documented in the draft Action Plan. An RPTP management activity (covering implementation and review processes) is budgeted in the BOPRC transport programme.

4. Next Steps

Next Steps: What next? What resources are needed? Further analysis? Timeframes ahead. Any consultation planned. Remind Council of the process ahead. Next update to Council?

Conclusion: Short concluding remarks. Referring back to recommendations. No new content.

Providing the PTC approves the draft Action Plan, the next steps will be to:

· Allocate transport planning resource to project manage RPTP implementation;

· Continue progressing implementation of the BOPRC transport programme; and

· Initiate a mid-term technical review of the RPTP.

Attachments

Attachment 1 - DRAFT Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan 2022 - Action Plan ⇩



Report To:	Public Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	12 March 2024
Report Writer:	Stuart Nightingale, Manager, Transport Operations
Report Authoriser:	Mat Taylor, General Manager, Corporate
Purpose:	Decision required concerning the status of Tertiary Commuter Services for 2024.

Bay of Plenty Regional Tertiary Commuter Services

Executive Summary

Bay of Plenty Regional Council operate a Tertiary Commuter Service which provide a free and direct service for tertiary students from Whakatāne, Murupara and Katikati into Tauranga and Rotorua.

These services operate due to an agreed funding model between BOPRC and two tertiary institutions, Toi Ohomai and University of Waikato (UoW). A prospective change to the funding model has been proposed which has potential ramifications for this this service. This paper has been brought to the attention of Council for consideration and direction.

Recommendations

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Bay of Plenty Regional Tertiary Commuter Services;

2 Approves the retention of the Tertiary and Commuter services with a communication campaign to increase patronage;

3 Approves the tertiary student fare be increased to 60% of the adult fare to align with the urban service for these services subject to review during regular fare policy reviews.

2. Introduction

Since 2020 Bay of Plenty Regional Council have operated Tertiary Commuter Services (“The services”) across the Bay of Plenty region. These services provide a free and direct service for tertiary students and are also utilised by fare paying members of the public.

The service was to set up to provide increased accessibility for students attending institutes to remove barriers to tertiary learning. The service provides a free and direct bus service. Non-tertiary student fare paying members of the public also commute on these trips which was an additional benefit for commuters between regional centres as a significant connector.

The Regional Tertiary Commuter services complement existing regional commuter services.

2.1 Alignment with Strategic Framework

The Regional Public Transport Plan 2018 – 2028. The service began in 2020 and was set up as an “Access service” defined in the 2018 – 2028 Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP) as a service;

“Which generally focus on social objectives, such as providing communities with a basic level of access to essential goods and services (health, education, and social support). Access services are typified by a spread of resources designed to maximise the availability of at least some form of public transport to the widest possible population”.

At the time the service contributed to the Access and Resilience objective;

“Communities have access to a resilient and reliable transport system that provides them with a range of travel choices to meet their social, economic, health and cultural needs”.

Lastly the plan outlined that for “Education services”:

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council recognises that there are significant social benefits to allowing residents to pursue further education and that transport is sometimes an impediment to this. In response to this we will partner with education providers to provide services that meet the needs of students where education providers are willing to share a part of these costs.

2.1.1 Regional Public Transport Plan 2022-2032

In response, BOPRC has been trialling several regional tertiary/commuter services between the following centres:

· Whakatāne – Tauranga

· Rotorua – Tauranga

· Katikati – Tauranga

· Murupara – Rotorua

· Tauranga - Rotorua

These services supplement more established regional or sub-regional services linking Katikati and Ōmokoroa to Tauranga, Murupara/ Ruatāhuna to Rotorua, Rotorua to Tauranga and Whakatāne to Tauranga.

The trial tertiary/ commuter services are a joint venture between the UoW, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, with each organisation contributing funds to make the service available, along with a funding contribution from Waka Kotahi. The services are fare free for tertiary students.

Our future plan for regional services is to:

• Review the trial of tertiary/commuter services and decide whether they should be implemented on a more permanent basis, or discontinued.
• Prepare a regional bus services strategy which assesses future demand for travel between the main urban areas, and proposes a network which provides a convenient and attractive service offering
• Work with Waikato Regional Council to assess potential demand for cross boundary services on key inter-regional corridors – SH2 to Paeroa, SH27 to Matamata / Morrinsville, and SH29 to Cambridge / Hamilton.
• Subject to the outcomes of the tertiary/commuter services review and regional bus services strategy, include additional service funding proposals in the next RLTP.

As a priority action in the 2022-2032 RPTP, staff have reviewed the trial of tertiary/commuter services and made the above recommendation on the future of the service.

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 deliver value to our ratepayers and our customers.

2.1.2 Community Well-beings Assessment

Dominant Well-Beings Affected

¨ Environmental

Low - Positive

¨ Cultural

Low - Positive

þ Social

High - Positive

þ Economic

Low - Positive

The Regional Tertiary Commuter services provide an important connector between Whakatāne, Murupara, Katikati to Rotorua and Tauranga. These services provide:

· Access for transport disadvantaged communities

· Connect students across the region for tertiary services

· Provide a commuter connection between our regional centres.

3. Operational Performance

3.1 Patronage

Patronage for Quarter 2, 2023/24 was 2,334 an increase of 32.9% on the same quarter last year. Tauranga-Rotorua has seen the biggest increase (52%) compared to the same period last year. Katikati-Tauranga has seen the smallest increase since 2022/23 of 7%.

2023 Patronage tertiary students vs other

Route	Tertiary Students	Other	Tertiary Students %	Other %
101 Whakatāne to Tauranga	6405	581	92%	8%
102 Rotorua to Tauranga	3042	1240	71%	29%
103 Katikati to Tauranga	2415	3062	44%	56%
104 Murupara to Rotorua	2678	853	76%	24%
105 Tauranga to Rotorua	3552	1240	74%	26%

3.2 Bus Capacity

Yearly utilisation tertiary routes

Year	Average seated capacity	101 Whakatāne to Tauranga	102 Rotorua to Tauranga	103 Katikati to Tauranga	104 Murupara to Rotorua	105 Tauranga to Rotorua
2021	35	15%	9%	9%	4%	9%
2022	35	13%	8%	11%	8%	9%
2023	35	18%	11%	15%	11%	13%

These services are significantly under-utilised and is an opportunity to promote the service to increase ridership.

4. Financial

4.1 Funding

The table below outlines the costs for the full year 2023. The amount paid by Bay of Plenty Regional Council is the same as the total of both tertiary institutions:

· NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi 51%

· Bay of Plenty Regional Council 25.5%

· UoW 12.25%

· Toi Ohomai 12.25%

4.2 Expenditure

The tertiary and commuter services fare box recovery ratio for the service is 1.8 are comparatively low in comparison to other services, however it represents less than 1.6% of Toi Moana’s total passenger transport expenditure. The financial break down of the exiting service is contained in Appendix 1

5. Current Contract

Staff have worked with representatives from Toi Ohomai and UoW to and have secured an agreement to renew the tertiary contract for 2024. The contract allows staff time to consider the future of the services, procure and operationalise the services. This was completed before Xmas 2023.

6. Conclusion

Staff recommend retaining the existing tertiary and commuter services despite a relatively high cost per passenger. The services themselves the minimum viable product for these areas and cannot be easily rationalised, only stopped entirely.

The over financial impact of these services is low at 1.6% of total budget and this is subsided by tertiary providers representing good value for money for all organisations.

There is a reputational risk form stopping the services entirely and these services represent a low level of accessibility provided to regional populations centres.

Utilisation is low on these busses but with new contract imminent, smaller more cost effective busses aren’t a viable option at this stage.

Staff recommend that a small communications campaign is developed and delivered with the tertiary providers to increase patronage and reduce the cost per passenger estimated at 25 - 40k.

In combination with the Councils policy position, a campaign to increase patronage staff recommend Council retain these services.

7. Implementing fares on tertiary services

7.1 Background

• Toi Ohomai and Waikato University have an inconsistent fares arrangement to transport students to their institutions.

• Waikato university currently charge students for transport to Hamilton from Tauranga and want to normalise this with students using the tertiary services.

• The introduction of fares for tertiary students represents a shift from the original intention of providing a free and direct service.

• Toi Ohomai and UoW are not seeking a change to the co-funding model but acknowledge that it may be appropriate that students contribute towards their fares.

7.2 Financial and Patronage impact

If council supports the instruction of fares, staff recommend the student fare would be consistent with our current fare structure which is 60% of the adult fare, therefore subsidised by 40%.

We have also assumed that the benefit net total remaining that is then apportioned between BOPRC, Toi Ohomai and UoW.

Likely fare revenue if fares are introduced for tertiary students based on figures, year ending 2023. The table below sets out the impacts to Council in terms of cost and patronage. Estimated savings to Council and tertiary providers (based on year ending 2023), on fares being introduced for tertiary students: 60% of present adult fare.

· BOPRC share $12.914

· UOW share $4.168

· Toi Ohomai share $8.747

7.3 Customer impact

There is a potential impact of introducing fares for tertiary students a drop in patronage public transport demand is relatively inelastic (that is, less sensitive to price changes) and in this case the price increase in comparison against the running cost of a vehicle is still very low.

Whilst there is an impact on customers in comparison to a free service staff anticipate the demand for travel will still remain at current levels.

7.4 Conclusion

Staff recommend the introduction of fares for tertiary students to improve the financial performance of the services, to ensure their longevity which in turn assist Council in achieving its policy aims particularly with transport disadvantage customers and communities.

The increase in revenue will allow Council to reinvest into the service to increase patronage and to improve data collection on these services.

Staff believe the proposed fare priced and there will be a low effect on demand. Our tertiary providers support the change as well as an improved ability to monitor the passengers on this service.

If student fares were introduced, revenue is increased, decreasing the net total which is then funded between Toi Moana, Toi Ohomai and UoW.

It is recommended that Regional Council move to a subsidised model at 60% of the adult fare which is on par with the present fare policy and this improves the long-term viability of the tertiary commuter service.

8. Next Steps

If approved staff would implement the changes in 2025 for the start of the student year and use the intervening time to begin procurement on the new service, optimise the existing routes to match customer demand, develop a campaign to increase patronage and increase the data collection capability on the buses.

If Council decides to shut the service down staff propose to end the service after the school term in 2024 allow time to communicate the change to customers and communities in time for the term start in 2025.

9. Appendix 1

2023 Tertiary Services (Intraregional Services)
				51%			Co-funding				Patronage		Cost Per Passenger Carried
Rotue	Base contract cost ($K)	less revenue ($K)	less NZTA Funding ($K)		Net Cost ($K)	BOPRC Share ($K)		UOW ($K)	TOh Share ($K)	YTD (all types)		Net Cost PP		BOPRC Cost PP	UOW Cost PP	TOh Cost PP
Route 101 Whakatāne - Tauranga	165.7	0.9	84.1		80.8	40.4		20.2	20.2	2,738		$29.50		$14.75	$7.37	$7.37
Route 102 Rotorua - Tauranga	89.2	1.9	44.5		42.8	21.4		10.7	10.7	1,622		$26.38		$13.19	$6.59	$6.59
Route 103 Katikati - Tauranga	101.3	1.4	51.0		49.0	24.5		12.2	12.2	2,256		$21.70		$10.85	$5.43	$5.43
Route 104 Murupara - Rotorua	89.4	1.1	45.0		43.3	21.6		0.0	21.6	1,642		$26.34		$13.17	$0.00	$13.17
Route 105 Tauranga - Rotorua	89.2	2.0	44.5		42.8	21.4		0.0	21.4	1,984		$21.55		$10.78	$0.00	$10.78
	534.9	7.3	269.1		258.5	129.3		43.1	86.1	10,242		$25.24		$12.62	$4.21	$8.41



Report To:	Public Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	12 March 2024
Report Writer:	Bron Healey, Principal Advisor, Transport
Report Authoriser:	Michael Seabourne, Director, Public Transport
Purpose:	To recommend decision-making criteria on when the Regional Council will provide public transport support for special events

Public Transport Support for Special Events

Executive Summary

This report recommends decision-making criteria on when the Regional Council will provide public transport support for special events. This is a follow-up to a March 2023 report to the Public Transport Committee (PTC) on the provision of free fares, and completes an action in the Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan 2022 (RPTP).

RPTP Policy 2.11 (Special Events) provides the starting point for the consideration of more detailed criteria. The discussion in the report provides further interpretation and definition of key terms in Policy 2.11. It then recommends several criteria to refine decisions on Regional Council support for an event. These are based around:

· Limiting support to existing scheduled public transport services

· Events demonstrating clear community benefits

· Events are free and open to the public generally

· Events are run on a not-for-profit basis

· Organisers will pay the full costs of any additional services requested

The Regional Council will then determine the type of public transport support it will provide to an event that fulfils all the criteria.

The criteria are captured in a decision-making diagram to assist Council staff to make decisions on future requests. The report also recommends a process of applying and refining the criteria as necessary.

Recommendations

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Public Transport Support for Special Events;

2 Approves the decision-making criteria for providing public transport support for special events as shown in Decision-making Criteria – Public Transport Support for Special Events.

1. Introduction

In March 2023, the PTC considered a report on the provision of free fares on public transport in support of public holidays and special events. Examples of previous Regional Council support have included ANZAC Day, Waitangi Day, World Car Free Day and the AIMS Games. In some cases, the Council also procured additional services to meet the particular needs of an event.

The PTC report noted that, in the past, the Regional Council had largely considered requests on an ad hoc basis and there was a need to adopt a more consistent longer term policy position. It then considered the findings of previous research into free fares, also analysing the patronage impacts of recent initiatives. The key findings being that the patronage impacts of ‘one-off’ fare free days tended to be minimal, and more targeted initiatives and fare offerings were likely to be better options for achieving sustained increases in patronage.

The PTC subsequently made the decision to place a hold on further support for network-wide free fares days pending completion of RPTP actions to undertake a regional fare review and develop decision-making criteria on Council support for special events. The decision noted that more targeted initiatives may still be considered on a case-by-case basis providing the request was consistent with RPTP Policy 2.11 - Special Events (see Discussion).

Since the March 2023 report, the Regional Council has received more requests for free or additional services to support specific events or days. The one request that was supported involved providing free travel on public transport and a park and ride service for AIMS Games competitors to help manage traffic demand in Tauranga.

The regional fare review is underway but has been temporarily paused pending completion of the Regional Council Long Term Plan process and clarification of the new Government’s position on fares. The purpose of this report, however, is to complete the second action to develop more specific decision-making criteria on when Council will consider support for special events.

1.1 Legislative Framework

BOPRC is responsible for funding and contracting public transport services under Part 5 of the Land Transport Management Act 2003 (LTMA).

The overall purpose of the LTMA is to contribute to an effective, efficient, and safe land transport system in the public interest. Section 115 of the LTMA includes a set of principles that are intended to guide the actions of regional councils in undertaking their public transport functions.

The LTMA requires a regional council to adopt a RPTP if it intends to enter into contracts for the supply of public transport services. This report implements an action in the operative Bay of Plenty RPTP 2022-2032.

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 purpose of this report is to define criteria to assist when making decisions about when the Regional Council will provide public transport support for special events. Defining the criteria will assist with delivering a safe and reliable public transport system, while also achieving value for money.

1.2.1 Community Well-beings Assessment

Dominant Well-Beings Affected

þ Environmental

Medium - Positive

þ Cultural

Medium - Positive

þ Social

Medium - Positive

þ Economic

Medium - Positive

Public transport has positive social and economic outcomes for our communities. Well planned and effective public transport enables people of all ages and abilities to access a wide range of social and economic activities.

Public transport also contributes to positive cultural outcomes for all sectors of the community (see also the implications for Māori section of this report).

2. Discussion

2.1 Regional Public Transport Plan – Policy 2.11

Policy 2.11 in the operative RPTP is the logical starting point for the consideration of more detailed criteria on Council support for special events.

Policy 2.11 states that Council will:

Consider providing public transport services for special events where there are clear community benefits and costs can be fully covered by passenger fares and the event organisers.

Where there are opportunities and benefits for promoting public transport, such as exposing non-users to the benefits of public transport, the Regional Council may support delivery of public transport for special events by:

i. undertaking promotional/marketing activities; and

ii. leveraging the existing public transport network through provision of discounted travel for specific purposes with a limited duration.

While Policy 2.11 provides an over-arching framework, there are a number of terms in the policy that would benefit from further definition when identifying more detailed criteria. These terms are discussed in the following sections.

2.1.1 Public transport services

Policy 2.11 refers to public transport services. The LTMA provides the following definition:

public transport service—

(a) means, subject to paragraph (b), a service for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward by means of—

(i) a large passenger service vehicle; or

(ii) a small passenger service vehicle; or

(iii) a ferry; or

(iv) a hovercraft; or

(v) a rail vehicle; or

(vi) any other mode of transport (other than air transport) that is available to the public generally; but

(b) in relation to Part 5, does not include—

(i) an excluded passenger service.

An excluded passenger service is not considered to be public transport. This is defined as follows:

excluded passenger service means a service for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward, and that—

(a) is contracted or funded by the Ministry of Education for the sole or primary purpose of transporting school children to and from school; or

(b) is not available to the public generally, and is operated for the sole or primary purpose of transporting to or from a predetermined event all the passengers carried by the service; or

(c) is not available to the public generally, and is operated for the sole or primary purpose of tourism.

The key term in this definition is that to qualify as public transport, a service must be available to the public generally. This excludes any services that are operated only for the purposes of carrying passengers to and from a specific event.

This definition aligns with the primary reasons why the Regional Council provides public transport, which is to deliver convenient, accessible services that are available to all sectors of the community. The Regional Council sets targeted public transport rates for this purpose.

It therefore follows that Regional Council support for special events should be for services that are available to the public generally. This would exclude any additional services that are for the exclusive use of participants at a specific event. However, it would not exclude providing support to encourage use of the existing public transport system to encourage people to make use of it when travelling to or from an event.

This reasoning also closely aligns with the wording in Policy 2.11 which refers to leveraging the existing public transport network rather than providing additional services.

2.1.2 Clear community benefits

This term refers to the type of event that would qualify for Regional Council support.

The purpose of the Local Government Act ‘provides for local authorities to play a broad role in promoting the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of their communities’.

Using this as the starting point, a special event with clear community benefits might be interpreted as any event that promotes the social, economic, environmental or cultural well-being of a community or communities in the region.

While this to some extent requires a degree of subjective judgement, a reasonable definition would be that to qualify for support, events must be open to the public generally and delivered primarily for the purposes of enhancing community wellbeing. For example – free concerts, festivals, sporting or cultural events with stated goals that align with these outcomes.

On the other hand, this would exclude concerts, events or other large gatherings that are organised by the private sector primarily for commercial gain.

2.1.3 Costs can be fully covered by passenger fares and the event organisers

At face value, this provision in RPTP Policy 2.11 sets a very high bar and is unlikely to be met under most circumstances.

Public transport is by definition a public good, which is provided to correct a market failure. Public transport systems throughout the world depend on some form of subsidy to supplement fares and cover the cost of providing services. However, the extent to which services rely on operating subsidies varies considerably.

The Bay of Plenty network currently has a low farebox recovery (approximately 15%) and relies heavily on funding from the Regional Council and the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to operate, while maintaining fares at an affordable level.

It would seem unreasonable to require organisers of community events to cover the difference between fares and the cost of providing an existing public transport service. In effect, the Regional Council would not be providing any additional support at all.

The recommendation is that this provision should only apply to requests for any services that are in addition to existing public transport services.

This means that providing the request meets the other policy criteria, the Regional Council would consider supporting the event with free or discounted fares on existing public transport services.

If the request required the provision of additional services, for example, extra services outside scheduled routes, hours or times, the cost of contracting those additional services would need to be covered by event organisers.

2.1.4 The type of Regional Council support

The final section of Policy 2.11 provides some pointers on the type of Regional Council support providing the request fulfils all other criteria:

‘the Regional Council may support delivery of public transport for special events by:

i. undertaking promotional/marketing activities; and

ii. leveraging the existing public transport network through provision of discounted travel for specific purposes with a limited duration.’

In effect, this means:

· support in the form of promotional or marketing activities to encourage attendees to use public transport to travel to and from an event instead of by private vehicles; and

· support in the form of discounted (or free) fares on an existing public transport service or services for a specified time period to incentivise the use of public transport.

Council would retain the discretion to define the extent of its support. A simple rule of thumb being that it is proportionate to the scale of event.

3. Recommendation

The preceding discussion has been captured in the following recommendation for decision-making criteria:

4. Considerations

4.1 Risks and Mitigations

The following table shows the most significant risks and mitigating actions that have been identified for the implementing the criteria:

*Risk*	*Mitigations*
Council receives significant numbers of conforming requests.	· Criteria narrow the scope of RPTP Policy 2.11 to focus on events that have clear community benefits. · Limiting the criteria to existing public transport services also limits the scale of potential Council support. · Council retains discretion to determine the nature of support (keeping within existing budgets).
Some aspects of the criteria are unclear when applying them to requests.	· The report recommends testing the criteria as new requests are received and refining them as necessary.
Some partner agencies and some sectors of the community may be disappointed if the Council turns down requests for that have in the past been accepted.	· Clearly communicate the rationale for the criteria. · Provide requestors with the opportunity to modify their proposals, if possible, to meet the requirements of the criteria.

4.2 Climate Change

Implementation of the proposed criteria supports reduced emissions because taking public transport to special events encourages people to switch mode for trips that would otherwise be taken by private vehicles.

4.3 Implications for Māori

Events that support cultural well-being outcomes for Māori fit within the proposed decision-making criteria.

4.4 Community Engagement

INFORM

Whakamōhio

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

The operative RPTP, including Policy 2.11, underwent a full public consultation process in 2022. The recommended criteria provide more clarity to event organisers who may be seeking public transport support for their events.

4.5 Financial Implications

If the recommendation is adopted by Council, will it result in:

If the answer is ‘no’ to both questions please select the dropdown option 1 and complete appropriately.

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

The proposed criteria set some more defined boundaries around when Council will provide support for special events. This will restrict Council support to only those events that qualify under the criteria. They also retain Council discretion to provide support that fits within existing budgets.

5. Next Steps

Next Steps: What next? What resources are needed? Further analysis? Timeframes ahead. Any consultation planned. Remind Council of the process ahead. Next update to Council?

Conclusion: Short concluding remarks. Referring back to recommendations. No new content.

Providing the PTC approves the decision-making criteria, the next steps will be to:

· apply the criteria to subsequent requests to test their ‘real world’ application;

· If necessary, recommend refinements or changes to the criteria back to the Committee; and

· based on practical application of the criteria, make a recommendation on the next iteration of RPTP Policy 2.11.



Report To:	Public Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	12 March 2024
Report Writer:	Simon Bell, Transport Systems Team Leader
Report Authoriser:	Michael Seabourne, Director, Public Transport
Purpose:	To determine Council’s approach to implementation of Government announcement on public transport Community Connect funding.

Community Connect Decision Paper

Executive Summary

- In the May 2023 Budget announcement, the Government have provided funding for free public transport for children under 13, and half-price fares for people under 25, known as the extended Community Connect funding package.

- In a decision on 9 June 2023, Council directed staff to implement fares to align with the government announcement. The fares came into effect on 1 July 2023.

- In an announcement in December 2023, Government announced an end to the extended Community Connect funding package to for discounted half price fares for those aged 13 to 24 and free fares for children aged 5 – 12.

- The funding 90-day notice period concludes on 30 April 2024.

- There is no change to the existing funding provided to those with a Community Services Card to receive half price public transport fares or the funding that has made half price Total Mobility fares permanent.

- If we wish to remain at the same level of support to the affected customers, the removal of the government funding will result in an increase in targeted rates.

Recommendations

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Community Connect Decision Paper;

2 Directs staff to implement the change by 1 May 2024 (as outlined in the report);

3 Approves Option 2: To revert to the pre-Community Connect Extension fares as the preferred option.

1. Introduction

In a decision on 9 June 2023, Council directed staff to implement fares to align with the government Community Connect Extension age-based fare announcement, effective from 1 July 2023.

After the government announcement in late December the removal of free fares, Waka Kotahi that the funding ends on 30 April 2024 for those aged 13 to 24 and free fares for children aged 5 – 12.

From 1 May 2024, Community Connect will only apply to Community Services Card holders (half price) and Total Mobility (75% off).

Public Transport Agencies can determine their local fare structure and as such, each PTA will need to decide to continue, or not, at the current 5 – 24 year old Community Connect fare concessions at its own cost.

Staff are well placed to operationalise this change, however there are policy, financial, operational, customer and community impacts to consider. These impacts are discussed below.

1.1 Legislative Framework

Land Transport Management Act 2003 (LTMA)

BOPRC is responsible for funding and contracting public transport services under Part 5 of the Land Transport Management Act 2003 (LTMA).

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.

1.2.1 Community Well-beings Assessment

Dominant Well-Beings Affected

þ Environmental

Medium - Positive

þ Cultural

Medium - Positive

þ Social

Medium - Positive

þ Economic

Medium - Positive

Public transport contributes to positive:

a) Environmental outcomes through reduced transport emissions when people choose to take public transport instead of private vehicle trips. These environmental outcomes are further enhanced when the public transport trip is in a zero-emission vehicle.

b) Cultural outcomes (refer to the Implications for Māori section of this report).

c) Social and economic outcomes for our communities. Well planned and effective public transport enables people of all ages and abilities to access a wide range of social and economic activities.

2. Impacts of proposed fare changes

2.1 Pre-existing fare structure

2.1.1 Tauranga School Fares - Free Peak Trial

The Tauranga schools fare free trial commenced on 27 January 2020. This initiative was established to see whether free fares for students can assist in Tauranga’s traffic congestion. Free travel applies on weekdays (at peak times only) during the school term for school students aged 5-18 years.

In 2022 the trial was extended to the Whakatāne, and Rotorua services.

2.1.2 Current Community Connect Extension Fares

On 9 June 2023 Council directed staff to change the fare structure in response to the Government’s extended Community Connect funding initiative, modified to maintain free fares at all times for 13 – 18-year-olds to align to the existing school free peak travel trial.

Funding for Community Connect Extension for discounted half price fares for those aged 13 to 24 and free fares for children aged 5 – 12 ends on 30 April 2024, so we are proposing to revert to the pre-Community Connect fare structure from 1 May 2024 (the Preferred Option).

2.2 Proposed fares comparison

Council’s current fare structure is outlined below and differs from the preferred option in the following ways:

Table 1: Current fare structure vs preferred option

Age Group	Current Policy	Preferred Option
0 - 5	Free	Free
6 – 12	Free (at all times)	Free (at peak)
13 – 18	Free (at all times)[1]	Free (at peak)
19 - 24	½ Price (at all times)	Full Price
25+	Full Price*	Full Price
65+	Discount	Discount
Super gold	Free after 9am	Free after 9am
Community Connect	Free (at all times)	Free (at all times)

Shading indicates a change from the current policy

2.2.1 Customer Impacts

The key points in comparing the current fare policy setting to the announced government policy setting are as follows:

· For 6-12 year-olds: an increase in the fare for the customer who previously were free at all times will now pay Child concession throughout the day.

· For 13-18 year-olds: an increase in the fare for the customer who previously were free at all times will now pay Child concession throughout the day.

· For 19-24 year-olds: an increase in the fare for the customer who were previously ½ price at all times will now pay full price throughout the day.

The main customer impacts with the change to Government fare policy and reverting back to the pre-existing Regional Council fare settings are:

I. 6-12 and 13–18-year-olds will be free at peak times but pay Child concession fares at off peak instead of free at all times; and

II. 19-24 year olds will pay adult fare at all times instead of ½ price at all times.

2.3 Policy Options

Council do not have a specific fare policy that needs to be changed, rather principles set out in the Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP), To date, all fare decisions have been adopted through Council committees and in decision papers. That said, the policy options presented below are broadly in alignment with Council’s policy position in the RPTP.

The table below highlights three options and the financial impact of each.

· Option 1 aligns more closely with the current settings and retains free fares for the 13–18-year-old age group at all times and 19-24 year olds will revert to paying the full adult fare.

· Option 2 seeks to revert to the fare structure in place before the original government half price fare arrangement in April 2022. As described above, 6–18-year-olds will have to pay more for off-peak travel than they do currently and 19-24 year olds will revert to paying the full adult fare.

Table 2: Fare options – Customer Impact

Age group	Current settings		Option 1		Option 2 (preferred)
Age group	Status Quo (no change)		Retain free at all times for 6 - 18		Free Peak Only for 6-18
6 – 12	Free (at all times)	No $ change	Free (at all times)	No $ change	Free (at peak)	Minor $ change
13 – 18	Free (at all times)	No $ change	Free (at all times)	No $ change	Free (at peak)	Minor $ change
19 - 24	½ Price (at all times)	No $ change	Full Price	Minor $ change	Full Price	Minor $ change

2.4 Options assessment

2.4.1 Customer

Status Quo retains the fare policy implemented on 1 July 2023 which was largely aligned to the structure preferred by the then Government under the previous funding arrangements. No change to travelling customers but there will be an additional burden on ratepayers.

Option 1 keeps fares free at all times for 6 – 18 year olds which may preserve a small amount of goodwill with affected customers. However, the well-publicised removal of the Government funding means there is no longer an expectation of regional discounting.

In addition, while the reduced fares will have had a positive impact on recent patronage trends, staff expect that most of that patronage growth relates to the return to pre-COVID bus use levels, increased congestion and improved reliability following the return to near-full timetable in Tauranga.

Option 2 will realign fares to the original Council mandated fare structure that was in place before the Government funded further fare reductions.

With the removal of this funding, Option 2 reduces some of the burden of the change on ratepayers.

The need for further public consultation is mitigated by the planned fare review later in the year that can potentially address any issues and allow sufficient time for a consultative process to take place.

As above, while the Government funded fares will likely have had a positive impact on recent patronage trends, staff expect that most of that patronage growth relates to the return to pre-COVID bus use levels, increased congestion and improved reliability following the return to near-full timetable in Tauranga.

2.4.2 Operational and or Delivery Considerations

Regional Consortium

Bay of Plenty Regional Council is one of nine Councils that have joined together as a Regional Consortium that jointly procures a single electronic ticketing solution for bus networks. As a member of this consortium, we are well placed to revert to the June 2022 fare structure from a technology and process standpoint.

Community Connect C4 Project

Internal resourcing will need to be redeployed to this project to have it delivered by 1 May 2024. This is a risk for resourcing our other priority projects.

Communication

Clear, targeted communications are needed to ensure affected stakeholders are aware of the changes.

2.4.3 Financial

The financial implications outlined below consider the annualised first year cost of implementing the options. The residual cost to Council for the remaining 2 months of 2023/24 would be approximately $0.31m for status quo and $0.19m for option 2 (preferred). Any portion not covered by revenue will be funded from reserves as the rating for the current year is already set.

In the proposed long-term plan for consultation, it is assumed that the CERF funding will continue. This announcement would need to be factored into the long-term plan in later LTP budget versions later this year. The financial analysis is calculated based on the proposed revenue and financing policy changes to fund Passenger Transport with 90% targeted rates and 10% general rates.

The withdrawal of CERF funding will result in additional rates for all options. Free fares for 13-18 year olds (half price funded by CERF funding) is currently funded by targeted rates.

The difference between status quo and the preferred option 2 is approximately $0.70m of fare revenue from children paying during off peak times on the urban services.

Staff recommend Option 2

3. Considerations

3.1 Risks and Mitigations

3.1.1 Consultation Significance

Council decision making requirements are set out in Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy (SEP), final decisions on the level of significance of a proposal or decision are made by full Council, Council committees and staff in accordance with standing orders and Council delegations. Where a decision makes a ‘significant’ decision, then LGA section 82 consultation principles apply.

The preferred option seeks to reinstate previously consulted fare policy and therefore additional consultation is not required to implement this change.

If Council want to consult with Community the time to consult will make the 1 May deadline undeliverable and delay the go live date by more than 3 months which would likely overlap with the full Regional Fare Review planned for later this year.

Risks

Mitigation

System changes are potentially constrained by our single provider for all the Consortium members. This has not been checked and is a key resource risk.

Risk mitigated by working with Consortium on a structured approach to making the changes

Decision challenged

The Government ‘mini budget’ announcement in December 2023 communicated the decision to cease funding. The potential impacts have been well publicised. and created an expectation there will be fare increases across the country. Waka Kotahi has signalled the funding change on their website.

Our implementation will include a comprehensive communication campaign to outline the changes

3.2 Climate Change

The matters addressed in this report are of a procedural nature and there is no need to consider climate change impacts.

3.3 Implications for Māori

Public transport has positive effects for Māori through improved accessibility and choice of transport options. This enables Māori to have better access to essential services and opportunities, including employment, education, and health care both within major urban centres and between smaller settlements and larger centres. Māori are also likely to benefit from a sustainable fare system that provides socially equitable access on an ongoing basis.

3.4 Community Engagement

INFORM

Whakamōhio

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

The removal of central government funding has been well promoted in the media since the election in November 2023.

A small section of the community may see reduced benefit under Option 2 in section 2.2 of this report, this is not considered to rise to the level of significance that would warrant further public consultation.

As discussed earlier in this report, it is important that the community is well informed on what the implications of implementation of the Government funding announcement mean to them.

4. Next Steps

As set out in the report

5. Appendix 1

5.1 Fares and Policy Analysis

5.1.1 Waka Kotahi Policy

Most public transport services provided by Regional Councils in New Zealand are funded from a combination of three sources:

· Fares received from customers;

· Regional Council funding e.g., revenue from rates; and

· Financial assistance from the National Land Transport Fund (money collected from fuel taxes, road user charges etc.) which is administered by Waka Kotahi (New Zealand Transport Agency).

Waka Kotahi has policies which guide the decisions it makes about providing financial assistance for the services that Regional Councils contract.

5.1.2 Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan 2022 (RPTP)

BOPRC adopted the RPTP in September 2022.

Objective 7 – fares and pricing: An equitable fare and pricing system that attracts new customers and rewards frequent use.

This is the objective most directly relevant to the topic of providing free fares and half-price fares. Objective 7 is supported by a suite of policies and actions designed to achieve its goal.

Relevant policies:

Policy 7.1 Fare principles

The following principles will be applied when developing and reviewing public transport fares and pricing in the region:

· Simple – the fare system is simple and consistent across services and networks.

· Customer focused – the fare system is easy for the customer to understand and use.

· Equitable – fare pricing is weighted according to ability to pay.

· Incentivised – fare pricing and initiatives are designed to increase patronage and reward frequent use.

· Balanced – the fare system achieves an appropriate balance between the goals of:

o social equity;

o transport system efficiency; and

o financial sustainability.

Policy 7.2 Fare structure

Work towards the delivery of a simplified, flat fare structure across the region with consistent pricing for comparable journeys.

Policy 7.3 Fare pricing initiatives

Explore a range of innovative pricing initiatives to encourage more frequent use of public transport including, but not limited to:

· Fare capping

· Expanded off peak discounts

· Group based discount schemes

· Employee schemes

· Loyalty credits

· Mobility subscriptions

Policy 7.5 School students

Implement a system of fare free travel for school aged students on the region’s existing public transport services subject to the following considerations:

· consistency with the fare principles in Policy 7.1;

· consistency with Waka Kotahi funding policy; and

· financial sustainability.

The system of fare free travel may be subject to specified limitations or requirements including, but not limited to:

· by time of day or week

· by service

· by geographical area

· trip or fare capping

· compulsory card usage to monitor patronage



Report To:	Public Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	12 March 2024
Report Writer:	Mary Norris, Transport Support (Total Mobility)
Report Authoriser:	Michael Seabourne, Director, Public Transport
Purpose:	To provide a report on the Total Mobility scheme to the Public Transport Committee

Total Mobility Review

Executive Summary

At the Public Transport Committee meeting on 14 November 2023, it was requested that staff to provide a report on the Total Mobility Scheme that highlighted the costs and benefits of the service. Including the cost structure, patronage, and client numbers, and resulting costs.

Recommendations

That the Public Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Total Mobility Review.

1. Introduction

This report provides an overview of the Total Mobility Scheme, a service that subsidises transport costs for people who are transport disadvantaged. The report responds to the request from the Public Transport Committee at their meeting on 14 November 2023. It covers the following aspects of the scheme: it’s operation, eligibility for services, patronage, costs, and benefits.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan 2022 (RPTP) sets out the following vision:

More people using convenient, accessible public transport that enhances their lives, supports urban transformation and regional connectivity, while reducing our collective impact on the environment.

One of the aspirations is to support accessibility and social inclusion by enabling a ‘public transport system across the region to help people of all ages and abilities access employment, education and services, while maintaining the social ties that support their wellbeing.’

The Total Mobility Scheme provides subsidised taxi services for people who have difficulty using buses, trains, or ferries because of a physical, psychological, sensory, or neurological disability. It aims to complement public transport services to ensure people can meet their daily needs in a safe and dignified manner, and to enhance community participation.

1.1 Legislative Framework

Regional Council is responsible for funding public transport services under Part 5 of the Land Transport Management Act 2003 (LTMA).

The New Zealand Disability Strategy (NZDS) is designed to guide the work of government agencies on disability issues from 2016 to 2026. It is also intended to be used by any individual or organisation that wants to learn more about, and make the best decisions on, things that are important to disabled people.

Local authorities and other organisations are encouraged to incorporate the NZDS into their work programmes.

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 Way We Work	We deliver value to our ratepayers and our customers.

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

Low - Positive

The Total Mobility scheme creates opportunities for members of our community to participate in activities where otherwise they may not have the support and travel options to do so. This includes accessing employment (economic), social and cultural opportunities.

2. What is the Total Mobility scheme

The Total Mobility scheme is one of the mechanisms by which Waka Kotahi fulfils its responsibilities towards assisting the transport disadvantaged. Its origins date back to 1981. Funded in partnership by local and central government, the Total Mobility scheme assists eligible people, with long term impairments to access appropriate transport to meet their daily needs and enhance their community participation.

This assistance is provided in the form of subsidised door-to-door transport services wherever scheme transport providers operate. The Total Mobility scheme is intended to compliment the provision of public transport services, which are expected to be as accessible as possible to meet different mobility needs.

It is important to note the roles and responsibilities of central and local governments within the Total Mobility scheme: The Ministry of Transport is responsible for setting the Total Mobility policy, including its funding source. The last review of the Total Mobility scheme was undertaken in 2003. NZTA are currently drafting up the criteria for a review in 2024. The Accessible Transport team provided feedback on the scope of the review to MRCagney in December 2023.

Waka Kotahi is responsible for the operational administration of the Total Mobility scheme, working with regional councils to administer and fund the scheme within their total provision of public transport services.

Role of local authorities; as a co-investor of the Total Mobility scheme, Waka Kotahi has expectations of regional councils to administer the Total Mobility scheme effectively. Regional councils must ensure the scheme’s central principle is delivered and policies are applied. It must be done by using systems and processes and managing the third-party relationships effectively and efficiently.

2.1.1 How does the Total Mobility scheme work?

The scheme provides a subsidy per trip of 75 percent, up to a maximum fare, to assist eligible people, with long term impairments to access appropriate transport to meet their daily needs and enhance their community participation. In the Bay of Plenty the maximum fare is $50 therefore the maximum discount is $37.50 per trip.

The scheme is founded on the central principle that people with impairments who are unable to use buses, trains, or ferries because of their disability, should be assisted with a subsidised alternative by local and central government. This reflects the legislative requirement under the Land Transport Management Act 2003 for local and central government to consider the needs of people who are transport disadvantaged. The scheme is primarily a transport service, and is no more a social, health or disability service than any other type of transport service. Anybody would be at risk of social isolation and adverse health outcomes if they did not have adequate access to appropriate transport. The scheme provides its members with access to transport and the means to participate in their communities in whatever way they choose.

Eligibility

The Total Mobility scheme is subject to nationally consistent eligibility criteria. An eligible person must have an impairment that prevents them from undertaking any one or more of the following five components of a journey unaccompanied, on a bus, train, or ferry in a safe and dignified manner:

• Getting to the place from where the transport departs.

• Getting onto the transport.

• Riding securely.

• Getting off the transport.

• Getting to the destination.

These journey components are consistent with the approach outlined by the Human Rights Commission, which describes an accessible journey as follows: ‘for a person to get from their home to a destination and then home again requires a number of linked steps. All these steps are of equal importance. If one link is broken or inadequate, the whole journey becomes impractical’ (Human Rights Commission, 2005). An impairment may be psychological, psychiatric, physical, neurological, intellectual, sensory, or other. It is not the impairment itself that determines eligibility for Total Mobility – rather, it is the effect that the impairment has on the individual’s ability to undertake the components of the journey.

Applying the eligibility criteria by Assessors

A key role for the Total Mobility assessor is to work with the prospective Total Mobility client to determine whether that person meets the eligibility criteria for the Total Mobility scheme. The role is one of guiding, assisting, and confirming that the information given by the prospective scheme user is accurate. The role of the assessor helps to ensure that people who meet the eligibility criteria for Total Mobility get access to Total Mobility trips appropriate to their needs.

The Accessible Transport team holds contracts with 45 assessing agencies that cover the Bay of Plenty. Under those contracts there are 118 individual assessors. We undertake training for all assessors to ensure they understand the eligibility criteria and can determine if a client meets those criteria. They must complete our training schedule and have signed an appendix to their employers’ contract before they can start to assess clients. We monitor assessments and provide guidance where needed to individual assessors.

Entitlement

The fare subsidy for the Total Mobility scheme is set at 75 percent of the standard fare charged by the transport operators. In the Bay of Plenty the 75 percent discount applies to each Total Mobility transaction (fare) until a maximum subsidy of $37.50 is reached on a $50.00 fare. Any amount after that is 100% paid by the client. There is no minimum fare threshold as any minimum fare would penalise clients who only make short trips.

The chart below shows the cost structure of a Total Mobility trip, with two example fares.

BOPRC determines the maximum subsidised fares for the Total Mobility scheme in consultation with Waka Kotahi. Local authorities are to review them at least every three years.

This review should have been completed in 2023 but due to the lack of resourcing within the Accessible Transport team, this has been delayed.

A review of these fares would consider:

· Average cost per trip.

· Average subsidy.

· Historical maximum and average fare data.

· Congestion.

· Current and historical usage of the scheme.

· Relevant demographic data.

· Distance and time-based travel factors.

· Customer satisfaction survey.

· Benchmarking fares from similar regions

The Accessible Transport Team has just completed the first survey of our Total Mobility and Accessible concession clients and results are attached.

Purpose of the trip

There are no restrictions on the purpose of the trip for the Total Mobility scheme. Any limiting of the purpose of allocated trips is inconsistent with the purpose and central principle of the scheme, which is concerned with providing access to subsidised transport, rather than prescribing appropriate or inappropriate destinations.

Transport Operators

BOPRC has entered into contracts with individual transport operators to provide Total Mobility services in our region. We currently have 15 operators with a total of 181 drivers. There are 147 vehicles and of those 29 have hoists. The current contract renewal process will be undertaken in the first quarter of 2024, with updated driver terms and conditions, including training requirements.

Cost of the Total Mobility scheme.

Table 1.1 below shows the cost of the Total Mobility scheme by funding source, from the latest Arotake report. The increase in cost share for BOPRC can be directly associated to the increase in funding from 50% to 75% of the trip fare. This has meant more clients on the scheme, and more clients taking more trips. However, the cost share for BOPRC has not risen exponentially from 2022/23 year to 2023/24.

Table 1.1

Table 1.2 below shows the costing split per funder, again showing that the average BOPRC contribution is not a significant rise. This raw data was sourced from the RideWise reporting outputs.

Table 1.2

3. Considerations

3.1 Risks and Mitigations

Nil to report

3.2 Climate Change

The matters addressed in this report are of a procedural nature and there is no need to consider climate change impacts.

3.3 Implications for Māori

Although the matters addressed in this report are of a procedural nature this Total Mobility scheme has the potential to deliver further positive effects for Māori around accessibility and provision of transport options providing better access to essential services, including employment and education opportunities, and health care services.

3.4 Community Engagement

Engagement with the community is not required as the report relates to internal Council matters only.

4. Next Steps

The Accessible Transport team developed the Total Mobility/Accessible Concession survey to have a set of key measurable delivery points to benchmark against in upcoming years. A summary is attached to this report.

A recent request to increase the team resource through the LTP process would positively impact on the team’s ability to implement the aforementioned activities.

Attachments

Attachment 1 - Simplified Results of Accessible Transport Survey ⇩

Attachment 2 - Total Mobility demographics from Ridewise ⇩