Joint WDC-NRC Whangarei Public Transport Working Party

Tuesday 1 October 2024 at 9.00am

 

 

AGENDA

 

 


Joint WDC-NRC Whangarei Public Transport Working Party

1 October 2024

Joint WDC-NRC Whangarei Public Transport Working Party Agenda

 

Meeting to be held in the NRC council chambers

36 Water Street,

Whangārei

on Tuesday 1 October 2024, commencing at 9.00am

 

Please note: working parties and working groups carry NO formal decision-making delegations from council. The purpose of the working party/group is to carry out preparatory work and discussions prior to taking matters to the full council for formal consideration and decision-making. Working party/group meetings are open to the public to attend (unless there are specific grounds under LGOIMA for the public to be excluded).

 

MEMBERSHIP OF THE Joint WDC-NRC Whangarei Public Transport Working Party

 

Chairperson, Councillor Rick Stolwerk

NRC Councillor Jack Craw

WDC Councillor Scott McKenzie

WDC Councillor Simon Reid

NRC Councillor Joe Carr

WDC Councillor Carol Peters

 

 

 

RĪMITI (Item)                                                                                                       Page

1.0      Ngā Mahi Whakapai/Housekeeping

2.0      Ngā Whakapahā/apologies   

3.0      Ngā Whakapuakanga/declarations of conflicts of interest

4.0      Ngā Whakaae Miniti / Confirmation of Minutes

4.1      Confirmation of Minutes - 25 July 2024 (Extraordinary)  3

5.0      Receipt of Action Sheet

5.1      Receipt of Action Sheet - 1 October 2024                          6

6.0      Reports

6.1      Presentation - National Ticketing Solution                         8

6.2      Operational Report                                                               15

 

 

 


Joint WDC-NRC Whangarei Public Transport Working Party                                item: 4.1

1 October 2024

 

TITLE:

Confirmation of Minutes - 25 July 2024 (Extraordinary)

From:

Haylee Labelle, Personal Assistant Community Resilience

Authorised by Group Manager/s:

Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 02 September 2024

 

Ngā mahi tūtohutia / Recommendation

That the minutes of the Whangarei Public Transport Working Party Extraordinary meeting held on 25 July 2024, be confirmed as a true and correct record and that these be duly authenticated by the Chair.

 

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Attachment 1: Whangarei Public Transport Working Party - Extraordinary Meeting Minutes - 25 July 2024  

 

 


Joint WDC-NRC Whangarei Public Transport Working Party  ITEM: 4.1

1 October 2024Attachment 1

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Joint WDC-NRC Whangarei Public Transport Working Party                                item: 5.1

1 October 2024

 

TITLE:

Receipt of Action Sheet - 1 October 2024

From:

Haylee Labelle, Personal Assistant Community Resilience

Authorised by Group Manager/s:

Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 06 September 2024

 

Whakarāpopototanga / Executive summary

The purpose of this report is to enable the meeting to receive the current action sheet.

 

Nga mahi tutohutia / Recommendation

That the action sheet be received.

 

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Attachment 1: Action Tracker - 1 October 2024  

 

 


Joint WDC-NRC Whangarei Public Transport Working Party  ITEM: 5.1

1 October 2024Attachment 1

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Joint WDC-NRC Whangarei Public Transport Working Party                                item: 6.1

1 October 2024

 

TITLE:

Presentation - National Ticketing Solution

From:

Kayla Gunson, Regional Transport Coordinator

Authorised by Group Manager/s:

Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 18 September 2024

 

Whakarāpopototanga / Executive summary

This report introduces the upcoming presentation on the National Ticketing Solution (NTS) that will be delivered at the council meeting. The NTS will provide a unified, nationwide ticketing system for public transport across New Zealand. The presentation will cover key updates, including the implementation timeline, regional impacts, and benefits to Northland.

 

Ngā mahi tūtohutia / Recommendation

That the report ‘Presentation - National Ticketing Solution’ by Kayla Gunson, Regional Transport Coordinator and dated 18 September 2024, be received.

 

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Attachment 1: NRC Transport update October 2024  

 

 


Joint WDC-NRC Whangarei Public Transport Working Party  ITEM: 6.1

1 October 2024Attachment 1




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Joint WDC-NRC Whangarei Public Transport Working Party                                item: 6.2

1 October 2024

 

TITLE:

Operational Report

From:

Chris Powell, Transport Manager - Northland Regional Council and Kayla Gunson, Regional Transport Coordinator

Authorised by Group Manager/s:

Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 18 September 2024

 

Whakarāpopototanga / Executive summary

This report provides an update to the Whangarei District Council/Northland Regional Council Public Transport Working Party (WPTWP) on the various Whangarei passenger transport services in operation and projects being undertaken since the last meeting of 11 June 2024.

 

Ngā mahi tūtohutia / Recommendation

That the report ‘Operational Report’ by Chris Powell, Transport Manager - Northland Regional Council and Kayla Gunson, Regional Transport Coordinator and dated 13 August 2024, be received.

Background/Tuhinga

 

CityLink Service

Staff have requested pricing from Ritchies for increasing the CityLink service frequency, which is planned to double once the Kamo T2 lanes are completed. Ritchies’ initial feedback indicates that an additional three peak buses will be needed for the Kamo route.

 

Council staff are also considering conducting a full Network Performance Analysis to assess operational efficiency.

 

SchoolLink Service

 

Driver shortages have caused some SchoolLink services to be missed or combined, however despite 36 trips being combined in August, the service has carried over 2,000 passengers. Ritchies management reports that the afternoon Kamo/Tiki services are no longer overloaded, relieving pressure on this route.

 

CityLink Driver Situation (still awaiting a response to Chris's email to Ritchies posing the questions listed in previous meeting minutes)

 

Ritchies has acknowledged that Northland is the only region still experiencing a significant driver shortage. The operator is working to resolve recruitment delays by working with MSD, providing their own background and medical checks, and are considering opening a training school at the Whangarei depot.

 

Although the operator has reported being short by only 1 FTE, 42 trips were cancelled or combined in August due to the driver shortage.

 

 

 

 

 

Rose Street Bus Terminus - Update

 

The tender for the project closes on 25 September, with contractors expected on-site by late October or early November. We are coordinating with Whangarei District Council (WDC) staff for the relocation of services to Vine Street and the setup of temporary facilities, including the office and toilet block.

 

Bream Bay Link Service Extension

 

Staff are planning to launch a survey in the near future. Community engagement will be implemented as opportunities arise to ensure comprehensive feedback and involvement from the community.

 

T2 Lanes - Update

 

The paper submitted to the WPTWP now requires formal approval from WDC for formal approval of funding for Stages 1 and 2. Stage 1 is fully covered within the current budget, however funding for Stage 2 depends on NZTA allocations, which were released recently.

 

Stage 1 works are set to commence immediately.

 

National Ticketing System (NTS)

 

The transport team has received the first draft of the transition strategy to the NTS which is scheduled to go live in November 2025. The new system will introduce the ‘Motu Move’ card for CityLink.

 

National communications efforts are currently focused on the version 0.5 release, which will take place in Timaru and Christchurch as part of the pilot phase. Lessons learned from these initial implementations will inform our transition, ensuring a smoother rollout for Northland services.

 

As we move closer to the implementation date, further updates will be provided, along with a detailed communication plan for our region.

 

Total Mobility Scheme

Review Progress: The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has recently updated the terms of reference for the ongoing review of the Total Mobility Scheme, with a more defined focus on advancing the review. This is a positive development, given that progress on this review has been pending since 2005. The update was communicated via email on Wednesday, 4th September 2024.

A national Total Mobility meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 18th September 2024, during which the MoT will be in attendance. Coordinators nationwide are collectively advocating for the Ministry to expedite the review and provide clearer timelines for its completion.

Client Growth and Funding: The number of clients enrolled in the Total Mobility Scheme continues to increase, following the implementation of the reduced user pays portion of the fare. Both Whangarei District Council and the NZTA have agreed to cover the increased local and national share to support the growing demand.

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Nil