Open Minutes
Commencing: Wednesday 12 June 2024, 9:30 am
Venue: Council Chambers, Regional House, 1 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga, and via Zoom (Audio-Visual meeting)
Chairperson: Cr Andrew von Dadelszen – Bay of Plenty Regional Council Toi Moana (BOPRC)
Deputy Chairperson: Cr Lyall Thurston - BOPRC
Members: Cr Jane Nees - BOPRC
Cr Paula Thompson – BOPRC (via Zoom)
Cr Andrew Iles – Whakatāne District Council (WDC)
Cr Malcolm Campbell - BOPRC
Mayor James Denyer – Western Bay of Plenty District Council (WBOPDC)
Deputy Mayor John Scrimgeour (Alternate) – WBOPDC (via Zoom)
Cr Gavin Dennis (Alternate) - WDC
Susan Collins – NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (Waka Kotahi)
In Attendance: BOPRC Councillors: Cr Ron Scott; Cr Stuart Crosby
BOPRC Staff: Oliver Haycock – Director Public Transport; Andrew Williams – Acting Manager, Transport Planning; Claudia Cameron – Committee Advisor
Public Forum: Carole Gordon - CG Consulting
Apologies: Mayor Tania Tapsell and Cr Conan O'Brien – Rotorua Lakes Council; Cr Ken Shirley – BOPRC; Commissioner Stephen Selwood and Commissioner Bill Wasley – Tauranga City Council (TCC).
1. Chairperson's Opening Statement
The Chair opened the meeting and reminded members that the meeting was being livestreamed and recorded. The recording can be found on the BOPRC YouTube channel: Public Transport Committee - 12 June 2024 (youtube.com)
The new member for Waka Kotahi, Susan Collins, was introduced.
|
That the Public Transport Committee: 1 Accepts the apologies from Cr Ken Shirley, Cr Conan O’Brien, Mayor Tania Tapsell, Commissioner Bill Wasley and Commissioner Stephen Selwood tendered at the meeting. CARRIED |
|
Carole Gordon - CG Consulting Presentation: Connecting Communities - Public Forum - 12 June 2024: Objective ID A4692849 ⇨ |
|
|
|
Presented By: Carole Gordon – CG Consulting Key Points: · Highlighted the importance of supporting the senior population to use public transport, particularly as a way to improve community connectivity and sociability · Introduced the concept of providing smaller communities with an electric bus, and allowing the community to operate the service and manage their own mobility/transport needs. This could be particularly effective in the Eastern Bay of Plenty · The increasing aging population figures demonstrated the need for this type of service; it would enable the mobility of elders, thus improving their ability to contribute and reducing societal costs. In Response to Questions: · Costing of the buses was required · Technology could be utilised to support a network of small buses to enable access; it should not be assumed the older generation could not manage new technology so long as support was provided during its introduction. 9.52 am – Cr John Scrimgeour entered the meeting. |
4. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest
None declared.
Minutes to be Confirmed
|
Public Transport Committee Minutes - 12 March 2024 |
|
|
|
That the Public Transport Committee: 1 Confirms the Public Transport Committee Minutes - 12 March 2024 as a true and correct record. CARRIED |
Minutes to be Received
|
Tauranga Public Transport Joint Committee Minutes |
|
|
|
That the Public Transport Committee: 1 Receives the Tauranga Public Transport Joint Committee Meeting Minutes from 1 May 2024 and the Tauranga Public Transport Joint Committee Workshop Notes from 28 February 2024. CARRIED |
|
Public Transport Tuatoru Arotake Q3, 2023/24 Performance Monitoring Report Presentation: Tuatoru Arotake Performance Monitoring - 12 June 2024: Objective ID A4694669 ⇨ Presented by: Oliver Haycock – Director, Public Transport |
|
|
|
Key Points: · There had been increases in use to all services across the region · Patronage had increased by almost 860,000 extra boardings in this quarter, this excluded OnDemand service use · It was hoped that the delays to some services were in areas which would see congestion improvements. In Response to Questions: · Lower Accessible Transport figures in Eastern and Western BOP were likely due to population numbers and fewer service providers · Missed trips mostly stemmed from peak period congestion, noting it took time for a bus to “catch up” to its advertised service time after the peak period · There appeared to be an anecdotal increase in numbers making an active choice to use public transport and mode shifting. Reporting of this was challenging over a short time period however staff were investigating the addition of an accurate and measurable Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in this area, as part of Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34 (RLTP). Key Points - Members: · Sought confirmation regarding: o Bay Hopper fare box recovery rate on page 36 of the Agenda. As this was a school service, and therefore subsidised, it was queried whether it would be accurate to record the 14% rate as a fare box recovery o The reasons for the lower Katikati and Inter-Regional numbers · Waka Eastern Bay had been 1 of the 3 successful contract winners for providing accessible transport in Eastern BOP and was preparing for service provision. |
|
|
That the Public Transport Committee: 1 Receives the Report, Public Transport Tuatoru Arotake Q3, 2023/24 Performance Monitoring Report. CARRIED |
|
Chairperson's Report Presentation: Baybus OnDemand Trial Update - 12 June 2024: Objective ID A4694671 ⇨ Presented by: Oliver Haycock – Director, Public Transport Key Points: · As there were a number of operator contracts due to expire, work was being conducted to ensure the next round of procurement was both efficient and effective. Staff were awaiting direction from Central Government regarding the application of the Sustainable Public Transport Framework (SPTF) · An OnDemand trial update was provided: o The trial was in an area challenging to serve with conventional fixed route bus services o The majority of users interacted with the app and had used the service multiple times o There had been a comprehensive communications plan which had developed into educating and supporting the community o Patronage was increasing week on week, and was substantially greater than the fixed route had seen o Feedback was positive, including that the service should be rolled out to a wider area o An algorithm within the app dynamically planned the routes for the five vehicles based on ride requests o Thanked Mercury Energy for their generous contribution to the project through charging infrastructure, power and support. Considered their sponsorship invaluable to the trial project starting o Recognised the contribution of suppliers to the initial success of the trial, Ritchies and Via o Highlighted the high standard of service provided by drivers o Noted that OnDemand trials nationwide all varied slightly, which made comparison challenging. In Response to Questions: · The Regional Fares Review was an opportunity to analyse the effectiveness of free/discounted fares. Key Points - Members: · Highlighted the need to be prepared to carry the costs of OnDemand if the trial was deemed a success and was continued · Emphasised the importance of contracts which enabled dynamic service provision and the ability to adapt to changes · Expressed concern that the Community Forum had not met since the outbreak of COVID-19. It was acknowledged that community engagement had been taking place, but strongly supported the re-establishment of this Forum with some urgency. |
|
|
|
That the Public Transport Committee: 1 Receives the report, Chairperson’s Report. CARRIED |
|
Resolution to exclude the public 1 Excludes the public from the following parts of the proceedings of this meeting as set out below: The general subject of each matter to be considered while the public is excluded, the reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter, and the specific grounds under section 48(1) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for the passing of this resolution are as follows:
CARRIED |
10.40 am – The meeting adjourned.
10.40 am – Cr John Scrimgeour withdrew from the meeting.
10.58 am – The meeting reconvened in Public Excluded.
11.41 am – the meeting closed.
|
|
Chairperson, Public Transport Committee