Questions over Art Deco buses
Not everyone is happy about the Napier City Council's bus plan."Napier City Council's" (I use quotation marks, because we only ever hear our mayor as spokeswoman on all the big issues these days) misguided decision to spend $1.5 million on Art Deco buses got some more publicity recently.
But amongst all the fanfare, there is very little key information being provided: Who will run the service? Who will receive the profits if it succeeds, or carry the debt if it fails? How much will it cost to ride on and where, precisely, will it go? And what happens if in six months no one is using it anymore?
Hawke's Bay Regional Council, meanwhile, is trialing a new Napier-to-Ahuriri service of its own, called the Hopper, from October 17.
Its bus "will have distinctive bright artwork on its sides, reflecting scenes from the route the service will take". Its route has been revealed to include parts of Napier Hill as well as Ahuriri and West Shore and a single trip fare will be $3 for adults, $2 for tertiary students and Community Services cardholders, and $1.50 for children, high school students and seniors.
"The trial will run for a period of six months. Passenger statistics will be collected monthly and closely monitored. We hope the service proves to be popular and then we will consider making it permanent. However, given the funding constraints we're currently facing, it really will be a case of use it or lose it," says regional councillor Alan Dick, chairman of the regional transport committee in HBRC's press release. Doesn't that seem like a better way to approach things? It would probably work out about $1 million cheaper, too!
