Bus fare jump to hit home
Subsidy end will further burden families
A jump in bus fares for children and young people as Government subsidies end will further burden families when the cost of living is hitting hard, says Nelson deputy mayor Rohan O'Neill-Stevens.
The Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, announced in December last year the scrapping of Crown funding for free public transport fares for 5 to 12-year-olds and half-price fares for 13 to 24 year-olds.
As a result, bus fares for under 13s in Nelson Tasman, which are currently free, will cost from $1 to $3, depending on zones travelled, while fares for 13 to 25 year olds will double from May 1. Those aged 18 to 25 without student ID or a Community Services Card will pay adult fares.
In a report to the Joint Nelson Tasman Regional Transport Committee yesterday it was acknowledged the fare changes “could reduce patronage, and therefore income, but the extent of that is as yet unknown”.
Nelson City councillor Mel Courtney asked what the appetite was for members to make a representation to the Minister of Transport asking him to put a hold on his decision.
Courtney said if the councils wanted to see the region’s new eBus service grow and improve, they must foster greater use by youth.
The joint councils were in the midst of a “huge modal shift”, and the timing of the cutting of the concessions was “unfortunate to say the least”.
Courtney said public transport was “much more than an equity issue”, and was a major tool in grappling with the climate emergency, pollution and congestion.
“I fear this change will impinge on our young people’s newly found independence, their newly found mobility,” he said.
At the Nelson bus station yesterday, NMIT students Alexis Dodd,1 6, and Bella Wekepiri, also 16, said some of the people they knew were already struggling enough as it was without having to find extra money for the bus.
“They have to take the bus because they can’t afford cars. It’s another kind of struggle that’s going to put a lot of stress on people,” Dodd said.
“They’re trying to budget for food and housing and the cost of living in general, but now they have to think about extra money for transport.”
O'Neill-Stevens, speaking outside the meeting, said the 42% of eBus users who were under 18 would be facing increased costs, placing a further burden on families at a time when the cost of living was hitting hard.
Nelson mayor Nick Smith said he did not support Courtney’s suggestion. He said the Government last year had a $10 billion deficit, and the country’s debt had grown from $5b to over $100b.
“I do and regularly make strong submissions to the Government in asking for money.
“But equally, I'm a realist and want to be taken seriously by the Government in understanding their challenges as well,” he said.
The bus service was 80% subsidised by taxpayers and ratepayers, and the 18 to 24 age group was “not an age group that's under particular stress” according to a Salvation Army report, Smith said.
Manager of transport and solid waste Marg Parfitt said research into what the uptake was from having a fare to no fare suggested that it didn’t increase patronage a great deal. “More importantly, the reliability and the timetabling is what influences people's decision to take a bus or not. The research didn’t support the introduction of free fares, and previously, Waka Kotahi’s fare policy didn’t either.”
O'Neill-Stevens said the burden of the fare jump might be seen in a shift back towards further traffic of parents dropping kids off where previously they'd be using the bus.
Transport emissions in the region made up 93% of household emissions, he said, making it “one of the key areas in which we could take climate action”. The public transport network was “a core part of that”.
Brown said yesterday he was committed to ensuring there was targeted support given to those who most needed affordable fares, while balancing it against the cost pressures facing the transport system.
Other upcoming changes in the eBus service include:
■ Travel on eBuses will be free for the region’s estimated 2000 Total Mobility cardholders and a companion from May 1.
■ The Stoke on Demand service is to be extended to include Mitre 10 and the Junction retail outlet. Parfitt said she had met with developers at the site, but turning movements for the larger buses were not possible with the current layout, the weight of the buses would likely “significantly” damage the road, and for the Route 2 to enter the area would “wreak havoc” with its timetable.
“I fear this change will impinge on our young people’s newly found independence, their newly found mobility,”
Mel Courtney