Bay of Plenty Regional Council left with $700k bus hub security costs

The Willow St bus interchange in the Tauranga CBD. Photo / NZME

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council has been left to foot the $700,000 bill for security patrols at Tauranga's transport hubs.

The sum was revealed in a meeting of the council's Public Transport Committee yesterday in discussion on the impact of security patrols at Tauranga's Willow St and Farm St bus stops.

Legal and commercial manager Jessica Easton said since the regional council introduced security guards at the bus hubs, calls to police and the council had "dramatically declined".

"It has been really positive. Tauranga City Council has said the feedback they've received has been really positive. NZ Bus, the buses' operator, are saying 'we are not getting any issues on buses anymore'."

Easton said the regional council applied for funding from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and was waiting to see if it had been successful. She expected to find out "hopefully" in about two weeks.

This would help determine whether to continue with security guards at the bus hubs.

"The continuation of these security guards hasn't been budgeted for in the Long-term Plan," Easton said.

Committee chairman Andrew von Dadelszen questioned how much it cost to run the security patrols.

Easton responded the regional council spent $700,000 per annum on the security "so it's a significant amount of money".

Councillor Stacey Rose said the security was essential and necessary "because of what we saw in November and December last year, it was not a pretty sight".

In January, NZ Bus confirmed drivers had been assaulted, robbed and verbally abused in recent months and Downtown Tauranga, which represents retailers in the area, was concerned for public safety.

Willow St had also become popular with people believed to be drinking and using drugs, who had also been accused of intimidating others. These issues prompted the regional council and Tauranga City Council to investigate security options.

Security patrols have been in place at Willow St since. These were extended to Farm St in Mount Maunganui from March 22 after police patrols stopped during the school holidays.

Rose, who regularly catches the bus, asked why the money for the patrols had not been considered as part of Long-term Plan deliberations. He also questioned why security guards had their hours pulled back from patrolling Willow St until 10pm to now 6pm.

General manager of finance and chief financial officer Mat Taylor said the money had not been budgeted for because it was originally part of a collaboration with other "partners" that would provide some of the funding.

However, this did not happen and "the regional council has been picking up the cost because of the arrangements at that meeting". He did not name the partners.

Easton confirmed the hours of security had Willow St had been reduced. She said this was due to "funding constraints" from setting up a secondary security patrol at Farm St.

Von Dadelszen said having guards had been successful in behavioural change "but it costs".

"I've been contacted by several elderly women who say when they see that they need to have security at our bus stops, it doesn't give them confidence in the service that it will be safe. It's not a simple solution."

The regional council would wait for a response from their requests for funding before deciding whether the security patrols will continue.