MyWay still excluded from half price service
Passengers using Timaru’s on-demand public transport service will continue to pay full priced fares even though the Government has extended its halfpriced fares scheme for a second time.
The Government, during the 2022 Budget announcement on May 19, said half-price fares would be extended for a further two months to tackle the increasing cost-of-living.
On Sunday, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the cut to the fuel excise, half-price public transport fares and the extension to the Road User Charges cut would continue until January 31, 2023.
Environment Canterbury senior manager public transport Stewart Gibbon has previously said the MyWay service would not be included in the scheme due to the ‘‘unique challenges a rapid increase in patronage would cause to an ondemand service’’. An ECan spokesperson yesterday confirmed that stance would continue through the extension.
They said patronage had remained steady, despite Omicron in the
MyWay is not included in the half fare scheme due to the ‘‘unique challenges a rapid increase in patronage would cause to an on-demand service’’.
Environment Canterbury
community, with the daily average ride numbers varying between 490 and 580.
On June 23, MyWay by Metro recorded its second-highest number of rides in a day with 614 rides, they said. The highest number of rides was recorded on December 22, 2021, with 635 rides.
‘‘We will be adding three new super low-floor vehicles to the MyWay service later this year, with a provisional date to be on the road in November,’’ the spokesperson said.
‘‘One will be a new addition to the fleet, while two will replace existing LDV vehicles.
‘‘During our trial, we have found that the super low-floor vehicles have been preferred by our customers, both for their accessibility for those that need it, and for the extra space they provide inside.
‘‘We will provide more details on these new vehicles closer to the launch date.’’
They said the council previously trialled late evening services which operated until 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays, but these were discontinued due to a low uptake.
‘‘There are currently no further plans to change MyWay operating times.’’
An upgrade to the service technology is also expected later this year.
‘‘We have not conducted any customer surveys in recent times to derive any collective, common suggestions from customers that would involve making any changes to the service at this time.
‘‘Our overall star rating for rides taken by our customers is 4.8 out of 5.’’
MyWay employs 24 drivers, and the number of drivers has been consistent over the past 12 months, they said.