Councillor Karen Hunt said she felt the regional council had not done enough to publicise the changes and the issue had been "blown out of all proportion".
It feels to me at this point there are some people working against us
But when asked who these people were, Ms Hunt refused to answer in the open session of the meeting saying she would respond to the question in a confidential session.
Mrs Chadwick said she, like the community, was concerned about the usage of buses and the bus routes in Rotorua. She said meetings between officers at both councils after the Public Transport meeting earlier this month had highlighted inaccuracies in the report which demand a better understanding before agreeing on future actions.
"We clearly can't trust the usage numbers that have been put on the table. They clearly show errors, confusion around bus routes and poor signage."
She moved that staff should continue to work with regional council to resolve the current issues with the bus services and to commence discussion on the devolution of the services to Rotorua Lakes Council. This direction was supported by the majority of her elected colleagues.
The report to the regional council said Rotorua bus patronage was down 18 per cent with 49,800 fewer passengers in the July-September quarter compared to last year. Blame centred on a new inner city route and confusion over suburban route changes.
However at a meeting between staff of the two councils on November 19, the key reasons for the reduction focused on operational issues such as the bus ticketing system and lack of revenue collecting. Marketing of the changes also needed beefing up, staff agreed.
"Buses are such a good thing for our community," said Mrs Chadwick.
"We could probably manage this service better, if it was unbundled."
Cr Charles Sturt, speaking in support, said he liked a local solutions for local problems type of approach to management.
Chief executive Geoff Williams told the committee that management of the bus services could be transferred to Rotorua Lakes Council but procurement would remain a regional activity.
Wr Karen Hunt, who is the inner-city portfolio lead, said she was concerned about the inaccuracy of the numbers highlighted when mystery shoppers caught the buses and wanted to know the cost and what type of marketing was undertaken by the regional council.
After the meeting Mrs Chadwick said she believed activities such as running bus and Coast Guard services could be run by Rotorua Lakes Council.
"If it fits the future shape of local Government, it's worth looking at," she said.
Regional Council's Public Transport subcommittee chairman Lyall Thurston said the Regional Council was pleased that Rotorua Lakes Council agreed in their Operations and Monitoring Committee this morning for their staff to continue working with Regional Council staff to address falling patronage and other issues.
Councillor Thurston said the Regional Council's immediate focus was on increasing the numbers of people using the bus in Rotorua.
"We are making this our priority for now, and there are a number of actions that have been agreed to by both councils, including some road works to improve how the buses can move around the city centre and investigating a stop closer to Pak n Save on Fenton Street.
"In addition, we'll be taking a longer term approach as to how we can make the buses a more attractive option to Rotorua residents, including setting up a focus group of bus users and key stakeholders to discuss the network.
"It's great to have the support of Rotorua Lakes Council in this work and to begin working with them on the issues."
Regional Council Chairman Doug Leeder is committed to building public transport services across the regional including Rotorua and is always open to discussions about how service delivery can be improved.
"There are a range of services being considered under the Local Government Futures Project, and I would expect that any additional regional topics, like transport, be bought forward as appropriate for consideration" Mr Leeder said.
