Passenger numbers across the Napier and Hastings goBay bus network continue to grow but some services are being trimmed as the regional council-subsidised operation struggles to stay on budget. Fares will also increase from September.
A report prepared for tomorrow's meeting of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council's corporate and strategiccommittee says passenger numbers from January to May this year were 2.4 per cent higher than for the same period last year.
An average of 67,915 trips each month have been taken on the network this year, up from 65,773 per month last year and almost double the average of 36,186 in 2009.
But the report says the cost of operating the service has increased greatly. As a result, "some adjustment to services" will be made from September 1. Peak-time services on the route 12 service between Napier and Hastings will be scaled back, with buses running every 20 minutes rather than every quarter of an hour.
The final route 12 weekday service, departing at 6.30pm, will be cancelled and some services (routes 12, 16A, 16B and 17) will stop travelling via The Park Mega Centre in Hastings, due to low patronage.
"These changes will result in significant cost savings and better utilise the capacity of the bus fleet with minimal disruption to passengers," the report says.
"Along with fare increases from September 1 (previously approved by the council), these measures will help to ensure the [bus] network operates within budget, more efficiently and more economically."
In 2012, the council put in place a three-year fare structure under which prices have increased annually each September. The cost of a single adult ticket between Hastings and Napier will go up from $5.20 to $5.40.
