Dylan Thorne: Free Tauranga school bus trial a no brainer

A free school bus service could get a whole generation of children used to using public transport. Photo/Getty Images.

Comment

Could a free school bus service be the silver bullet to solve Tauranga's peak hour traffic woes?

Most likely no, but there's a fair chance it could substantially alleviate the problem.

For someone who now dreads the sight of queues of cars lined up bumper-to-bumper around the city, school holidays offer a brief and welcome respite from traffic jams.

From experience, it's clear that you can expect a much smoother run to work during the school holidays - fewer parents ferrying their children to school each day means fewer cars on the road and fewer traffic jams.

Would all parents insist their children catch the bus if a free service was in place? Probably not - there will those who, for peace of mind, will prefer to drop them off safely at the school gate.

However, it's a fair bet many others would jump at the chance to get to work without too many detours along the way.

The good news is the Bay of Plenty Regional Council is considering trialling a fare-free or reduced rate buses for students over the 2020 school year.

While the service might be described as "free", there will be a cost and it will be shared among all of the city's ratepayers, rather than just users. The council estimates the trial will cost $2.2 million.

This would mean an increase in the targeted rate for passenger transport in Tauranga of roughly $22 per household for each of the two rating years. Trying subsidised fares instead would cost an extra $19 per household for two years.

Yes, I know we already pay a fair chunk each year for rates. However, unlike so many other things councils do, this could have a tangible, meaningful, benefit for a considerable number of residents in the city.

It could also get a whole generation of children used to using public transport - and that has to be a good thing.

If the city is serious about tackling it's growing traffic problems if it wants more cars off the road at peak times and if it wants to move towards a transport plan that encourages public transportation then surely this is an excellent first step.

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