Public transport conundrum
CHANGES to Dunedin bus routes were always going to cause problems, no matter what the Otago Regional Council decided.
Unfortunately, people get used to familiar surroundings and a bus going past a specific point at a specific time can have a comforting feel for those in the vicinity.
It does not help any cause when residents on a new route start complaining about how narrow their streets are, how many young children there are and how the presence of temporary bus stops restricts viewing of the street.
Of great concern was the news of several school bus routes being cancelled. Many Dunedin school communities say they are outraged they were not consulted about the changes to the bus routes. Some say they will suffer extreme hardship.
Gone are the days when it was considered safe for school pupils to walk longish distances to primary and secondary schools. Increased traffic, stranger danger and the literal size of the backpacks some young pupils carry has put paid to this.
New Zealand has developed into a society where parents taking their children to school has become normal. On some of Dunedin’s busiest thoroughfares, motorists need to take particular care when passing schools as some parents park in ways that restrict easy passing. Young children can be seen rushing out to their parents, causing motorists to jam on their brakes.
Whether parents really need to pick up their children is an argument for another time because after the school holidays, some children are facing walks of 2.5km from a bus to a school across some busy streets and roads.
Go Bus told the ORC only last Friday it will be discontinuing some school bus routes. Otago Peninsula Community Board chairman Paul Pope says he has received two school notices regarding the discontinuation of school bus services to and from the Otago Peninsula.
Go Bus is owned by Ngai Tahu with a 66.67% share and Tainui Group Holdings with a 33.33% share. Both entities will be challenged by their respective stakeholders to return a profit and the school bus routes may not meet the criteria needed to be maintained.
Go Bus South Island operations director Nigel Piper seems to confirm this. He says the company has operated school services from Port Chalmers and the Otago Peninsula since 2014, on a ‘‘privately run and standalone users pays’’ basis. Those services have experienced declining patronage over recent years and are no longer viable to operate.
The decision to stop was taken only after a thorough review and consideration. The company has been subsidising costs on the routes and the buses are due for replacement and no longer economic to run.
The probability is Ngai Tahu iwi children are affected by the school bus decision, but in a commercial world, Go Bus cannot afford to subsidise costs for ever.
What now? The Ministry of Education and the Otago Regional Council are working together to find a solution.
There is an assurance the ministry and council are working together with Go Bus to find suitable transport options for affected pupils.
There will be options out there but time is of the essence as school holidays approach. Having about three weeks to find a solution will undoubtedly focus minds.
As for the other bus route changes, they are still bedding in. Change is inevitable for bus users. Dunedin residents still prefer to drive to work and the sudden fall in motor vehicle use during school holidays indicates many families still prefer to drive their children to school.
Until a change in mindset happens, public transport problems will remain for Dunedin. The population base is not large enough to introduce a bus service as seen in places like Wellington and Christchurch. Light rail is not an option. It will be buses and cars for the foreseeable future.