Bus services across Hawke's Bay are facing many disruptions. Photo / Supplied
Bus services across Hawke's Bay are facing many disruptions. Photo / Supplied
It is probably an understatement to say that our buses have been acting up a bit lately, not being where they're meant to be, and not getting where they're meant to on time.
A combination of Covid-19 disruptions and a severe shortage of bus drivers has meant our bus service hasn't been what the public rightly expect, and we fully understand how frustrating that must be for people relying on the service to get to work or about their daily business.
I just want to reassure all bus patrons and passengers that we're working hard with Go Bus, the company that hires the drivers and delivers the bus service, to fix this situation as fast as we can.
We're doing everything we can in the current tight labour market, and our contract with Go Bus, to keep scheduled services as regular and frequent as they can be. We'll continue giving the public as much notice as we can about changes needed to schedules as they unfold.
Unfortunately, this isn't a problem that can be solved overnight. Our temporary Saturday Plus service is the current short-term fix to maintain a reliable service to the best of our ability.
I am acutely aware that a swathe of cancelled bus trips is the very last thing we need in Hawke's Bay, where we already don't have enough people catching buses, and a culture of very high private car use even for short distance trips on a daily basis. I have written previously of our regional addiction to cars, and it seems to be exactly that.
The regional council, alongside Waka Kotahi, sees public transport as hugely important to help people get from A to B, not just for those that struggle to pay for car repairs and maintenance along with dramatically rising petrol prices, but to also reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as a region. I can assure you that we are committed to a public transport future that works for people in the region.
Martin Williams,Hawke's Bay Regional Councillor and chairs the Regional Transport Committee for Hawke's Bay, says they are working hard to fix bus problems. Photo / Supplied
We also know that at the moment – even when the buses are on their regular routes and times – the service doesn't cater for everyone. This is reflected in the numbers opting to catch the bus. In the past five years the annual patronage has dropped from 690,000 to 530,000.
We are squarely focused on changing the transport culture across Hastings and Napier through what is called mode-shift. Simply put, this means we need to make Hawke's Bay's public transport service easier and more attractive for all people than jumping in single occupant cars to drive where they need to go.
We are well under way for a launch in Hastings of the MyWay trial in June, our much heralded new on-demand public transport service.
This will be our first taste of new and innovative ways of delivering and using public transport in Hawke's Bay. It also comes at a great time where we need drivers with a different class of licence, who will be easier to find than those licensed to drive big buses.
As I see it, the whole future of public transport service provision could be reformed by using minibuses across the entire network. Simply put, MyWay is our first step on the journey to radically change the way we use and provide public transport in Hawke's Bay.
The current shortage in drivers for fixed routes with larger diesel buses highlights the benefits of this type of on-demand service where people literally design their own timetable to suit their needs, as well as looking at a different overall way to deliver public transport for everyone who wants it.
We know that our priority right now is delivering a reliable service. As I hope I have explained, we're trying to juggle providing this kind of service, while looking to the future at how we can make it more accessible for a wider range of people, make sure it's reliable, and a user-friendly service which everyone will come to see as a better option, or at least 'give it a go'.
Meantime, as I say, we thank you for your patience as we work through our current driver shortage. We're working hard to deliver the service today, and build a future-proofed, sustainable transport network for the future.
Martin Williams is a Hawke's Bay Regional councillor and chairs the Regional Transport Committee for Hawke's Bay.
