Rotorua bus network to get ‘refresh’ as patronage reaches record high

Rotorua is about to receive its first update to its public transport network in seven years amid a record-high number of people taking the bus.

The $670,000 Rotorua Bus Network Refresh is expected to take effect later this year and will result in 11 existing bus routes being condensed into five to better meet people’s needs.

Bay of Plenty regional councillor and Public Transport Committee deputy chairman Lyall Thurston said he hoped the changes would encourage people to “give public transport another go”.

“It’s about giving people greater access, closer access, to bus stops. We’ve embraced the calls to put them into various areas. The routes have been tweaked to be more accommodating and receptive to people’s needs, rather than wants,” Thurston said.

The new bus routes were named Tahi, Tahi B, Rua, Toru, Wha, and Rima and will prompt the need for 38 new bus stops - along with the removal or relocation of 23 existing bus stops.

In Thurston’s view, the refresh was exciting.

Regional council transport planning manager Oliver Haycock said the refreshed network was expected to begin later this year, but this was dependent on the installation of the new bus stops, in collaboration with Rotorua Lakes Council.

Haycock said the refresh would not come at an extra expense to ratepayers, as the $670,000 needed was awarded to the regional council through Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency’s Transport Choices programme.

The refresh would offer “significant improvements” and better connect the Rotorua community, Haycock said.

Haycock said that while the network condensed 11 routes into five, “overall coverage is not significantly compromised due to the cross-town nature of the new routes”.

At a Public Transport Committee meeting on March 21, regional council senior network planner Melissa Winters said the refresh was aimed at making buses more attractive and simpler to use while getting people around the city centre more easily. It included new bus routes, the installation of seven “critical” bus stops and 15 “very important” bus stops.

These included two on Amohau St outside and opposite the entrance to Central Mall, one on Arawa St between Rangiuru and Tutanekai Streets, one on Lake Rd, one on Pōhutukawa Drive, one on Rimuvale St and one on Mohi Cres.

The last major change to the network was in 2016, when the route to Toi Ohomai campus was divided and frequency was increased.

The Cityride bus service in Rotorua. Photo / Laura Smith

The refresh comes as the regional council records record-high numbers of people catching the bus.

A Performance Monitoring Report for July 2022 to December 2022 was presented at the meeting. It showed 97,434 people used the bus in Rotorua in Quarter 2 of the 2022/23 year, a 35.6 per cent increase compared to the same quarter the year before. Within that quarter, each month experienced an increase in patronage. In October 2022, 22.95 per cent more people used the bus, in November 2022 this was 22.41 per cent, and in December 2022 this was 34.8 per cent.

Thurston told the committee the increase in bus demand was something “we need to trumpet”.

“Because, clearly, we’ve turned a corner in terms of increase in patronage.”

Thurston said he was aware the increase was attributed to the half-price fares and fare-free school trial, but “I think there’s some incredibly good news there in light of what’s been pretty depressing year-on-year decline”.

The number of people using the bus in Rotorua has continuously declined since 2015, with people citing increasing traffic congestion and withdrawal of free tertiary fares as reasons.

“For those critics of 50 per cent fare reductions, this is a tribute to getting those people who are in the margins of society, getting them on to public transport, is it not?” Thurston said.

“For those of us who have sat around this table for a number of years, this is great news.”

Funding provided through Waka Kotahi has been attributed as the main reason behind a $1.2 million increase in operating revenue, and a forecast $1.3m increase by the end of the financial year. An additional subsidy was helping to fund any under-budget fare income driven by half-price fares, which was introduced by the Government in April 2022 and pushed out to the end of this month at least.

Regional council director of public transport Mike Seabourne said he believed the increased patronage was related to “latent demand”.

“There are pockets that we are not accessing, and this represents a pocket that was suddenly able to use a public transport service effectively, and that represents a step up in patronage,” Seabourne said.

“We should ... identify where those pockets are [with] consultation to bring that forward and adjust our routes in that respect. It is definitely linked to accessing a new market, effectively, but I think there’s also an overall consideration around pricing and fare review that will be handled through that piece of work as we come to it. But I do take your point about celebrating our successes, that is something we can definitely take on board.”

The regional council will now work with Waka Kotahi on the design and installation of landmark bus stops and shelters, support Rotorua Lakes Council in their addition of new bus stops and shelters, set a start date for the changes, and begin “significant internal work” to upgrade ticketing systems, websites and timetables.