Tauranga traffic woes: Bay of Plenty Regional Council trials on-demand buses after success elsewhere in NZ

Tauranga is one of the most car-reliant cities in New Zealand with heavy traffic congestion and too many ‘empty buses’ rolling around, but could new on-demand buses be a solution? A trial of the Uber-like service using minivans began this week for several suburbs. If successful, the smaller, lighter and more direct service could be expanded to the rest of the city. Kiri Gillespie catches a ride to find out how it works, and asks how similar trials are going elsewhere in New Zealand.

In a city infamous for its traffic congestion and once crowned the most car-reliant city in New Zealand, there are hopes a new on-demand public transport service could change things.

Monday marked the first day of an 18-month $1.9 million trial of five small electric buses operating on demand in the Tauranga South suburbs of Greerton, Gate Pā, Parkvale, Pyes Pā, Lakes and Tauriko.The fleet replaced the Route 51 bus service from Pyes Pā to Tauranga Crossing.

The buses, which include four eight-seater electric minivans and one five-seater with ramps and a wheelchair hoist, don’t stick to routes or a schedule. Rather, users log their location in the BayBus On Demand app and state where in Tauranga South they want to go, and when. The cost of the trial was funded between the council and transport agency with a 49 per cent and 51 per cent split, respectively.

When the idea was floated in 2022, it was described as a “sort of” Uber involving buses.

If successful, the trial could be expanded to the rest of the city.

Toi Ōhomai student Tayla Louw regularly catches a bus from Tauranga Crossing to class.

The new buses don’t travel to the Windermere campus but if they did, “it would be quite useful”, Louw said.

“Normally, you have to get to every stop by a certain time. Going to Toi Ōhomai, we go through Greerton and it can take a minute or two for people to get on and off.”

Louw said she would prefer something more direct, such as an on-demand bus.

“That way, it won’t matter if I’m too early or too late for the bus.”

As of 10am on Monday, the app had been installed 500 times and 14 customers had travelled on the vans. The Bay of Plenty Times was one of them.

The Bay of Plenty Times rode from the Taurikura Drive bus stop to Tauranga Hospital — as far north down Cameron Rd as the on-demand bus would go.

Ordering an on-demand bus in Tauranga can be done via an app. Photo / Alex Cairns

When the bus arrived 13 minutes after being booked, it was not branded, but the app relayed the bus’ identification details so it was clear it was the right vehicle. It took about 10 minutes to reach the hospital without any stops.

The app suggests people be prepared to share their ride with other passengers, but on this occasion there were none.

However, the driver said demand had been picking up. He had just taken a woman from Pyes Pā to the Historic Village.

With a standard fare of $3.40 or $2.72 with a Bee Card, he believed this was a “good trip” compared with what it would cost in a taxi.

As the Bay of Plenty Times continued the journey further down Cameron Rd in a private car, several minutes after being dropped off, we passed a regular bus that had been at Taurikura Drive while we waited for the minivan.

Other suburbs demand on-demand

Bay of Plenty Regional Council public transport committee chairman Andrew von Dadelszen said the council was keeping an eye on the geographical limitations of the trial. For now, people could catch a regular bus for free (within 30 minutes) to complete their journey, he said.

Von Dadelszen said he had already received queries from Matua and Ōtūmoetai residents wanting on-demand buses.

“I’ve had really good feedback about the idea.”

He said local bus patronage was improving, but acknowledged there were often empty buses running around during the day.

“What worries me is these big buses going up and down cul-de-sacs and streets that are just not designed for them. The little vans seem like a really good solution. There’s still a place for big buses in peak times, but these things might be a better way.”

Bay of Plenty Regional Council public transport committee chairman Andrew von Dadelszen. Photo / George Novak

Other on-demand bus trials

Similar trials have been held in Timaru and Hawke’s Bay.

Environment Canterbury public transport general manager Stewart Gibbon said Timaru’s service began in 2020 as a pilot, which then turned into a trial following the first Covid-19 lockdown that year and extended.

He said public transport patronage in Timaru was up 55 per cent on pre-Covid levels.

The council had replaced four fixed-route services and “seen increased engagement across all public transport in Timaru”.

Environment Canterbury was waiting to see if it would receive NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi funding to continue the scheme.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council general manager of policy and regulation Katrina Brunton said it looked at on-demand buses in 2022 to replace three fixed route services with a long history of poor patronage.

The council saw a “significant increase in patronage”, but high operating costs compared with the fixed routes due to the short timeframe of the trial.

Tauranga's traffic woes could be alleviated if a new on-demand bus trial is successful. Photos / Alex Cairns

From June 2022 to June 2023, 34,644 trips were completed on these on-demand buses.

It would extend the trial until the present contract ended in July next year, and continue to investigate future service offerings.

“Overall, the trial has made an impact on public transport service provision.”

A Napier trial was planned, but costs of Cyclone Gabrielle to the council meant this was “no longer financially viable”.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council public transport director Mike Seabourne said its trial of smaller vehicles aimed to provide “flexible connections between local destinations and link passengers to the wider Baybus network”.

Service details

• Operating within Tauranga South including Gate Pā, Greerton, Parkvale, Pyes Pā, Tauriko and the Lakes.
• Available daily from 6am to 7pm (excluding Good Friday and Christmas Day).
• Book via dedicated app, Baybus OnDemand, calling 0800 4 BAYBUS (0800 4 229 287) or in person at a participating Book on Behalf organisation or business.
• Standard fare is $3.40 a trip, reduced to $2.72 with a Bee Card (adhering to Baybus fare structure), Baybus concessions and transfers are available.
• Payment via app with credit/debit card or your Bee Card (no cash).

How it works

1. Let Baybus know where you want to go and when. Baybus OnDemand has no fixed route or timetable. Instead, it has flexible pick-up and drop-off points, usually within 150m of your location.

2. Book your ride. You can book your travel as soon as possible or up to seven days in advance.

3. Get to your pick-up location. To ensure an easy journey for everyone, you must be at your pick-up point before your ride arrives.

4. Pay with the app or with your Bee Card. Tag on and tag off with your Bee Card on the reader in the vehicle at the start and end of your trip. Payment with the app will be applied automatically.

Kiri Gillespie is an assistant news director and a senior journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, specialising in local politics and city issues. She was a finalist for the Voyager Media Awards Regional Journalist of the Year in 2021.