{"id":46676,"date":"2025-09-27T16:13:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T16:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/46676\/"},"modified":"2025-09-27T16:13:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T16:13:19","slug":"sunlive-regions-bus-fares-hiked-for-first-time-since-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/46676\/","title":{"rendered":"SunLive – Region’s bus fares hiked for first time since 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bay of Plenty urban bus fares will increase for the first time in seven years from January.<\/p>\n

The decision to hike the fares by 10% was made at the Bay of Plenty Regional Council\u2019s last meeting of the triennium on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Urban fares will increase for all services across the region except for long-distance routes.<\/p>\n

Affected passengers will pay up to 40c more per trip.<\/p>\n

The council\u2019s<\/a> public transport committee recommended increasing the fares by 25% to get closer to the Government\u2019s cost recovery targets.<\/p>\n

Councillor Kat Macmillan said a 25% increase risked losing passengers and she suggested making it 10%.<\/p>\n

The council and ratepayers invested millions of dollars in public transport, and council data showed there could be a 9% reduction in patronage if the 25% fare increase went ahead, she said.<\/p>\n

\"Councillor

\nCouncillor Kat Macmillan said the 25% fare increase was too big a jump. Photo \/ John Borren<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too big a jump. I think people will notice the difference in their bus fare, and we will lose patronage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re investing tens of millions, why do we want to lose 9% of our customers?\u201d<\/p>\n

Once people stopped using public transport, it was really difficult to get them using it again, Macmillan said.<\/p>\n

Councillor Jane Nees said congestion was a real issue in Tauranga<\/a> and she did not like the predicted patronage drop for the 25% fare increase.<\/p>\n

Especially when many people were not really sure the council\u2019s investment in public transport was a good one, she said.<\/p>\n

Public transport committee chairman Andrew von Dadelszen said a fare increase was urgently needed because there hadn\u2019t been one since 2018.<\/p>\n

This made it very hard to get a balanced farebox recovery, he said. This is the amount of public transport operating costs covered by passenger fares.<\/p>\n

\"Councillor

\nCouncillor Andrew von Dadelszen said a bus fare increase was urgently needed. Photo \/ Alex Cairns<\/p>\n

The farebox recovery for the Bay of Plenty<\/a> was 60c per trip, the second lowest in the country, von Dadelszen said.<\/p>\n

The national average was $1.87 per trip.<\/p>\n

If the council wanted continued public transport funding from the Government, it was important it showed \u201cgenuine action\u201d to increase farebox recovery, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to show that we are committed to getting our finances right in public transport.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Government\u2019s farebox recovery goal for the Bay of Plenty was 14.4% by April 1 next year. It was sitting at 10.85%.<\/p>\n

\"Rotorua's

\nRotorua’s urban adult bus fares will increase by up to 30c. Photo \/ Laura Smith<\/p>\n

The council had increased fees for the On Demand bus service<\/a> and the patronage dropped initially but had recovered, von Dadelszen said.<\/p>\n

Councillor Ken Shirley said 25% was not a \u201cgreat increase\u201d when put into dollars and cents.<\/p>\n

The 25% was needed because fares hadn\u2019t changed since 2018, and costs had escalated \u201cmassively,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re right out of kilter.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a very clear message from the Government to increase farebox recovery, so the council was going backwards if it didn\u2019t implement at least a 25% increase, Shirley said.<\/p>\n

Council chairman Doug Leeder said emphasising the percentage was \u201cdangerous\u201d and the increase should be highlighted by dollar terms because that was what hit people in the pocket.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rotorua<\/a> councillor Lyall Thurston said he represented a marginalised community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all well and good for us to sit around here and say that a dollar is not a lot of money, but it\u2019s one hell of a lot of money when you haven\u2019t got it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Macmillan\u2019s motion for a 10% fare increase passed by seven votes to six.<\/p>\n

The new fares will come into effect from January 22, 2026.<\/p>\n

Fare increases<\/p>\n

Rotorua urban adult fare: $2.50 with Bee Card, $3.10 cash (up 26c and 30c).<\/p>\n

Tauranga urban and Te Puke adult fare: $3 with Bee Card, $3.80 cash (up 28c and 40c).<\/p>\n

Whakat\u0101ne-\u014chope adult fare: $3 with Bee Card, $3.80 cash (up 28c and 40c).<\/p>\n

Long-distance services are unchanged: Katikati-Tauranga, Murupara-Rotorua, \u014cp\u014dtiki-Potaka, Tauranga-Te Puke, Waih\u012b Beach, Whakatane-\u014cp\u014dtiki and Whakatane-Tauranga.<\/p>\n

Last meeting<\/p>\n

Councillors Toi Kai R\u0101kau Iti, Kevin Winters, Jane Nees and Doug Leeder are not running for re-election.<\/p>\n

There were no speeches from the outgoing councillors at Thursday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n

After the meeting, Leeder, who has chaired the council for all of his 12-year tenure, said he worked with some great people.<\/p>\n

Leeder had \u201cmixed emotions\u201d about leaving, but it was time to pass the reins on to someone else, he told Local Democracy Reporting.<\/p>\n

He would continue to run his dairy farm in Waiotahe but had no plans beyond that.<\/p>\n

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n

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