{"id":510316,"date":"2026-07-05T02:50:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T02:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/510316\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T02:50:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T02:50:07","slug":"baybus-ondemand-to-end-in-tauranga-despite-early-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/510316\/","title":{"rendered":"Baybus OnDemand to end in Tauranga despite early success"},"content":{"rendered":"

The service launched<\/a> in March 2024, operating in Tauranga South. It replaced Route 51 with an app-based, corner-to-corner service using small electric vans. <\/p>\n

It had no schedule or routes, with passengers able to book trips on demand across Gate P\u0101, Greerton, Parkvale, Pyes P\u0101, Tauriko and The Lakes.<\/p>\n

\"PassengersPassengers booked trips through the Baybus OnDemand app instead of following a fixed timetable. Photo \/ Bay of Plenty Regional Council<\/p>\n

In July 2024, Von Dadelszen reported the service had quickly exceeded expectations.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Where Route 51 had 800 users in three months, the on-demand service had 4600 – plus customer satisfaction over 90%.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were just so many positives for it,\u201d Von Dadelszen told the Bay of Plenty Times this week. <\/p>\n

He said the service proved there was demand for smaller, more flexible public transport.<\/p>\n

He believed the council should have refined the service rather than scrapping it, suggesting slightly larger electric minibuses operating neighbourhood feeder routes into the city\u2019s main bus corridors. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy vision was always to have those smaller buses serving suburbs like Matua, Bethlehem and P\u0101p\u0101moa, feeding into the main network.\u201d<\/p>\n

Von Dadelszen acknowledged the service was expensive to operate but said many passengers understood it was a premium service and would have accepted higher fares to keep it running.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was successful because it was so cheap for what it offered. Even after they increased the fare to $5, it was still incredibly good value.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the council should use the trial\u2019s findings to develop a more affordable version of the service and not abandon the concept altogether.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really successful patronage-wise. So you\u2019ve got to find, in my view, … a middle ground somewhere.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"AndrewAndrew von Dadelszen (left) and Mike Seabourne with a Baybus OnDemand vehicle in 2024. Photo \/ Bay of Plenty Regional Council<\/p>\n

A regular user since the OnDemand service launched said he was disappointed by the decision. <\/p>\n

Oliver, who spoke on condition his surname was not used, said he used it several times a week and struggled to understand why the council had decided to stop it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be happening. There\u2019s something wrong somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Oliver still drove, he said he preferred the bus because of rising fuel costs and its convenience.<\/p>\n

Oliver said the service made everyday trips, such as doctor\u2019s appointments and supermarket visits, much easier.<\/p>\n

He built a friendship with one of the drivers, who was the first to tell him the service was ending.<\/p>\n

He said the driver understood about 10 staff may lose their jobs when the service finished.<\/p>\n

\"RouteRoute 51 will return when the Baybus OnDemand trial ends. Photo \/ NZME<\/p>\n

Oliver said the closure was a step backwards and urged the council to seek feedback from passengers before making decisions that affected so many people.<\/p>\n

Regional council chair Matemoana McDonald said the trial had achieved exactly what it was designed to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe service achieved strong customer satisfaction and significantly higher patronage than Route 51, with use stabilising at around 3700 trips a month.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the trial also gave the regional council valuable information about customer demand, travel patterns, operating requirements and cost.<\/p>\n

Baybus OnDemand cost about $1.1 million to operate in the 2025\/26 financial year and required an average subsidy of about $25 per passenger after fares. <\/p>\n

The subsidy was funded through a mix of 90% targeted passenger transport rates and 10% general rates. <\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the positive customer results, continuing Baybus OnDemand would require a significant ongoing subsidy and further long-term funding,\u201d McDonald said. <\/p>\n

She confirmed Route 51, which previously connected Pyes P\u0101 to Tauranga Crossing, would return when the On Demand service ended. <\/p>\n

This was expected to cost about $320,000 a year to operate, with about 51% funded by NZTA and the remainder covered through rates and fares.<\/p>\n

The council would use travel data from the trial to help shape the reinstated service. <\/p>\n

The exact transition date, route and timetable were still being finalised.<\/p>\n

The council referred Bay of Plenty Times questions about whether drivers would lose their jobs and what would happen to the mini-buses to service operator Ritchies.<\/p>\n

Ritchies referred all questions about the future of the service to the regional council and declined to comment on potential job losses.<\/p>\n

\u201cRitchies will manage the impact of any decisions about the future of the service internally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zoe Blake is a multimedia journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The service launched in March 2024, operating in Tauranga South. It replaced Route 51 with an app-based, corner-to-corner…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":510317,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[74186,254004,138,127,2245,8127,1342,78,130,111,139,69,254005,29459,72160,63502,34752,2552,3502,1227,131,1961,14005,61,1533,379],"class_list":["post-510316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-attracting","tag-baybus","tag-business","tag-despite","tag-early","tag-end","tag-five","tag-in","tag-more","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-ondemand","tag-passengers","tag-replaced","tag-route","tag-scrapped","tag-service","tag-success","tag-tauranga","tag-than","tag-this","tag-times","tag-to","tag-will","tag-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=510316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/510317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}