More than 500 council staff are receiving free bus travel at an estimated cost to ratepayers of about $100,000 a year.
Tauranga City Council says the initiative aims to reduce traffic congestion, free up parking and lower carbon emissions — and it hopes businesses will follow suit.
A public transport leader says the idea is a “win-win”. One residents’ group leader also backs the initiative, but another questions how it helps locals struggling with high living costs.
It comes as authorities consider congestion charging to help tackle the city’s clogged roads.
Commission leader Anne Tolley said 550 of the council’s nearly 1100 staff had signed up for the free Bee Cards — prepaid bus travel cards — since the initiative launched in March.
Tolley said the council was committed to being a “sustainable business” and trying to meet government carbon emission goals. The commission had asked the council to seek ways to reduce staff commuting in private vehicles.
“We have challenged the wider community to also get involved in similar schemes.”
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council was providing Bee Cards pre-loaded with $50.
City council sustainability and waste manager Dan Smith said when the balance dropped under $10, the city council topped the card up by $50 — lowered from the initial $100 last week. There is no limit on top-up frequency.
The extra credit is funded from the council’s sustainability and waste operational budget, which funds sustainability activities including those to reduce climate change impacts.
The scheme was monitored and reviewed to ensure high balances were not sitting on little-used cards. Low users had to “redistribute” their cards and tap-on/tap-off data could verify usage.
Smith said the cost of the scheme was expected to be about $100,000 a year depending on the uptake and usage. In the first five months, it cost $25,950.
A report to the Tauranga Public Transport Joint Committee in May said the initial estimate was $18,000 based on 10 per cent of staff participating, but uptake was much higher.
Nearly 3000 return trips were taken in the first two months.
Tolley told the Bay of Plenty Times “wins” from the initiative included changing transport habits and freeing up city centre parking — which helped businesses.
Tolley said the joint committee had endorsed the council to invite other corporate businesses to give staff subsidised Bee Cards based on the council’s pilot initiative.
The trial would give participating businesses Bee Cards preloaded with $20, paid for by the regional council, with the businesses encouraged to match that and continue the top-ups.
Tauranga commissioner Shadrach Rolleston said he used buses quite often and believed the initiative was about the council showing leadership on sustainability and that taking a bus was not “scary”.
He said the cost was a “minor investment” compared to the wider benefits, such as potentially taking hundreds of cars off the road.
Matua Residents Association chairman Richard Kluit said he believed the initiative was “very positive” given the Otumoetai peninsular and Tauranga’s growing population.
He said it made “perfect sense” for the council to start trying to change commuters’ mindsets now rather than waiting 10 to 20 years.
“I’m a regular Bee Card user. I believe we need to start educating those in their 30s and 40s and even younger to be less reliant on their cars to get around the city.”
A Mount Maunganui Ratepayers, Residents and Retailers Association spokeswoman said the biggest issue was whether the council would also “fix our public transport system” - including a more direct route from the Mount to the city with fewer stops.
She also questioned how this initiative would help people who had to drive children to school and low-income families struggling with the increased cost of living.
Generally, Bee Card users aged over 18 in Tauranga pay between $2.72 and $1.36 per ride in the city or $7.80-$5.60 for a day pass. Those aged 18 or under ride free.
Tranquillo Beauty Clinic co-owner John Dewes-Hodgson said he thought the initiative was “a good idea”. He had given three of his staff Bee Cards and the business occasionally topped them up.
He said the bus service, however, needed to be more reliable so staff and sometimes clients were not late for appointments.
“I even tried taking the bus myself several times but gave up in the end because the service was unreliable.”
Andrew von Dadelszen, chairman of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Public Transport Committee, backed the goal of getting “white-collar” commuters on buses.
“It’s a no-brainer incentive for the city’s commuters … It’s a win-win for everyone.”
He said Bay Hopper bus patronage was up 20 per cent on the same time last year, which was a “good start”.
“However, when I’m walking my dog up to Elizabeth St, I still see lots of cars with only single occupants, and predominantly they are white-collar workers.
“I agree we’ve got to put a blow-torch to any over-spending but $100,000 is small cheese compared to the huge gains that can be made … I cannot see any downside,“ von Dadelszen said.
Regional council public transport director Mike Seabourne said it offered all new permanent employees a “one-off option” to have $80 loaded on their Bee Card to encourage them to commute via public transport.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.