On-demand bus service scrapped over lack of use
An on-demand bus service is being scrapped after costing ratepayers $213.50 per ride.
Nelson City Council has announced the Stoke OnDemand bus that was introduced alongside the eBus service in August would finish at the end of April.
While eBus numbers were growing steadily, demand for the on-demand service had waned from 142 journeys in the first month to just 48 in February and 52 in March.
Mayor Nick Smith said it was not financially viable, because the low usage brought the cost to $215 a trip.
“The $215-cost-per-passenger journey is poor use of ratepayer and taxpayer money. We are only recovering an average of $1.50 from passenger fares, leaving a subsidy of $213.50 per passenger journey.
“We could fly people to Wellington and back for less.”
The cost was more than $100 per kilometre, he said.
“It would be financially irresponsible to continue with this service at this cost, particularly during a cost-of-living crisis and when rates are under so much pressure.”
The lack of demand was in part due to the success of the Nayland Rd eBus routes and local retirement villages offering courtesy coaches.
“We are also finding that people with mobility issues are using taxis under the Council’s Total Mobility scheme, which provides a 75% subsidy and a door-to-door service.”
From May 1, Total Mobility card holders will be able to use the eBus for free at any time of day with a support person, if required.
But while patronage fell on the Stoke service, it had continued to grow on the eBus service, with a record 91,687 rides in March.
Patronage in January, February and March was more than double the same months last year, Smith said.
“The growth is so strong, the eBus could make the million mark in passenger journeys this year.”
Councillor Campbell Rollo said that as a regular bus user he was noticing the increase in passengers.
“I’m seeing strong growth in passenger numbers, not just at peak times, but throughout the day.
“It's been really cool to see so many different people catching buses throughout the region, whether they’re on a family trip down to the beach or heading off to work in the city.”
Meanwhile, Toi Toi St is officially being removed from Route 3.
It had been added to the route after buses were diverted away from Jenner Rd due to road damage.
A fortnight later, the Toi Toi St section was suspended after a bus hit the kerb going around a roundabout.
The council had now decided to retire that section of the route after a safety investigation.
Route 3 was diverted from Jenner Rd on September 30 following damage to the road.
A replacement route including Toi Toi St, tested by SBL, started on February 12.
Group Infrastructure Manager Alec Louverdis said they’d hoped to be able to extend services into Victory.
"That hasn’t worked out as we hoped but when introducing a new service of this scale, we have been open about the fact that we would need to adapt over time as we find out more about new routes and timetables.”