Groundbreaking changes being explored for public transport in Waikato region

Big changes in how public transport is planned and delivered could be in the pipeline, after receiving backing from Waikato regional councillors.

During the late April meeting, a report to council said making changes to public transport in a timely way was limited due to “overly complex structures for funding and decision making”.

That effectiveness was further affected by a lack of coordination with investments in supporting infrastructure like bus stops and shelters, transport policies around things like parking, and decisions about land use and urban form, the report said.

To look at these issues, an independent review was commissioned by the council to assess its current public transport business performance and develop a set of prioritised, practical and actionable recommendations.

Waikato Regional Council Chair Russ Rimmington said, “To be an attractive alternative to single occupancy vehicles, public transport must be accessible, efficient, comfortable and reliable. On top of that, urban form must be conducive to efficiently providing public transport services.

“But it’s clear there are challenges that make introducing improvements to public transport really difficult, and this has to change to meet the needs of our communities,” Cr Rimmington said.

Stemming from the review, an implementation strategy presented to council identified four actions to improve public transport in the region, starting with work with Future Proof partners towards a sub-regional entity to govern, plan, fund and deliver an aligned programme of public transport services.

The three other actions involve:

• co-designing a consistent regional funding model with all willing territorial authorities
• working with territorial authorities outside the Future Proof sub-region to explore opportunities to enhance engagement in public transport
• being more proactive in public transport and integrated transport/land use planning
• clarifying public transport key performance and infrastructure expectations through the Waikato Regional Public Transport Plan.

Regional Connections Committee Chair Angela Strange said, “These could be groundbreaking changes, but necessary if we’re to deliver the services people need to make public transport a more attractive travel option.

“There’s a lot of detailed planning that now needs to be carried out, and some of this will need to be confirmed with partner councils. But it’s envisaged most of the work will be undertaken to enable implementation through the 2024-2034 Long Term Plan.

“The Regional Connections Committee will continue to play an important role in this process, engaging with territorial authorities on public transport and being a clearing-house for advice on next steps,” Cr Strange said.

The strategy presented to councillors had been informed by benchmarking current public transport performance to a range of New Zealand and international comparators, a series of workshops with technical staff, executives and governance representatives from Waikato Regional Council and Hamilton City Council, as well as written feedback from most of the region’s territorial authorities and several other stakeholders.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has allocated funding for the review of the Waikato Regional Public Transport Plan, which has been identified as a good starting point for aligning planning across partners. The review of the plan is underway and will be consulted on with the public this year.