Intercity (on a stop in Whanganui) may be the only option currently for people wanting to travel between Dannevirke and Woodville if they don't want to drive. Photo / NZME
Intercity (on a stop in Whanganui) may be the only option currently for people wanting to travel between Dannevirke and Woodville if they don't want to drive. Photo / NZME
What will the Tararua district's public transport options be in the future?
That's the question being asked by Horizons Regional Council, which is currently reviewing public transport in the region.
Tararua District Council mayor Tracey Collis said the Tararua district didn't have any public transport.
"I felt we needed areview of that."
She said a questionnaire had been done years ago but there had been a lot of changes since then.
Tararua councillor Raylene Treder was a representative on the passenger transport committee for Horizons and it had taken her nearly all her term to get a review into consideration.
Collis said with the closing of the Manawatu Gorge and rising fuel costs, it was a very timely conversation.
Mayor Tracey Collis. A review of public transport for the Tararua was 'timely' given rising fuel costs and the building of the new highway. Photo / NZME
"We live in a district that has a large geographical area. When we talk public transport it doesn't necessarily mean public transport into another town, it could be between our towns."
One of the issues in the previous survey was to look at how many people commuted through to Palmerston North, she said.
It also looked at whether there was a need for public transport for things like banking services.
There were two community vehicles which were partially funded by Horizons that were filling the gaps, but they still had their boundaries.
"What is needed and what are the possibilities?" Collis said.
"The first part is that we actually need to be identifying what we do need. I think it's a timely conversation and I'm very grateful for the work that Raylene has carried out to get us this far."
Treder said a lot of elderly people didn't like driving over the Saddle Road to Palmerston North, or the Pahiatua Track.
She said it wasn't just elderly residents who needed public transport as there were also students attending UCOL or Massey University who were commuting because of the cost of living in Palmerston North.
Some people were also choosing to carpool.
Collis said there was only an opportunity for such conversations when there was a complete review.
"Let's have a conversation, let's understand the need," she said.
The Horizons draft plan set the framework for how the council planned and delivered public transport services and infrastructure over the next 10 years.
Senior transport planner Leana Shirley said the draft plan recognised there were areas of the region where there wasn't much or if any public transport available and Tararua was one such area.
"Currently if residents want to travel outside the district in any mode other than car, they would use an Inter-City service or possibly one of the health shuttles and community vans running in the area."
Shirley said the council had a couple of objectives that aimed to address this.
One was to provide a simple public transport network that appealed to and retained customers.
The second objective was to ensure it was accessible to anyone and adequate to suit their needs.
"These objectives seek to provide services in a fair and equitable way across the region, meaning areas like Tararua which currently have little in the way of public transport will have a pathway to introduce more."
The plan proposed a region-wide and inter-regional review of services to ensure there was a connected and efficient network, Shirley said.
For Dannevirke and Woodville, the council would investigate demand and the feasibility for introducing public transport services in Dannevirke and a connector service between Dannevirke and Woodville.
"This includes potential connections to Palmerston North once the Te Ahu a Turanga Highway is open," Shirley said.
The council also proposed an investigation into demand for small passenger services in Dannevirke, Woodville and Norsewood so a Total Mobility service could be brought in.
Total Mobility was a scheme funded partly by Waka Kotahi and regional councils providing people with disabilities or mobility issues with subsidised travel by taxi.
Shirley said if people in the Tararua region felt there was a demand for public transport services and would like to see it happen, they were encouraged to make submissions on the draft plan.
