Eligibility for half-price bus fares will change on July 1. Photo / Bevan Conley
Eligibility for half-price bus fares will change on July 1. Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui is better prepared than some neighbouring regions for the upcoming changes to public transport fares.
Since April 2022, bus and train passengers throughout the country have enjoyed half-price fares as part of the Government’s extended cost of living transport package.
This is set to end on July 1, withthe Government making changes to its Community Connect Scheme as outlined in the 2023 Budget.
Horizons Regional Council transport services manager Mark Read said under the changes, half-price fares would continue for Community Services Card holders aged 13-24, while children younger than 12 would ride for free.
To benefit from the scheme, those eligible need to ensure their date of birth is registered and correct on their Bee Card by visiting the Bee Card website. The Community Connect fare will then automatically apply when tagging on and off a Horizons bus.
People who have a Community Services Card but not a Bee Card can claim one for free from their local Horizons office, and people on services without Bee Card readers will have to show their Community Services Card to the driver to get the half-price fares. This will apply to the Raetihi to Ohakune, Taihape to Palmerston North and Taihape to Whanganui bus services, which are cash only.
Read said Horizons had been working closely with its ticketing provider and was confident its system would function as expected from July 1.
The council will monitor the use of the scheme, including following up on any potential issues with fares, such as people registering a false date of birth on their Bee Card.
Public transport advocate Anthonie Tonnon said Whanganui was better prepared for the changes than regions like Wellington, which was having to hold off on the changes due to the area not having a system to check passengers’ ages.
“We’re lucky we have the Bee Card, otherwise it would have been very complex to introduce it,” Tonnon said.
He thought the changes were good because they would help young families, who traditionally opted against using public transport.
“There’s a perception that a dad or a mum taking two or three kids in a car is a lot cheaper than them all travelling together on public transport because you’re paying extra for each person.
“This evens the score a little bit. If you wanted to travel with two of your kids into town ... you’re only going to pay for yourself as an adult and you’ll be able to bring your kids along for no extra cost.”
Being targeted at young people was positive too, as they were a group of people who currently had less disposable income than most.
Public transport advocate Anthonie Tonnon. Photo / Bevan Conley
The one issue Tonnon had with the new scheme was it lacked the simplicity of the previous one.
“The half-price fares were very easy to implement because it was universal.”
However, the more specific targeting could potentially get more people on buses overall.
“Making it actually free for that young age group and giving the possibility of cheap family travel might actually have more benefit.”
He said it would be interesting to see the changes’ effect on public transport use in the region.
Tonnon is also the Durie Hill Elevator operator, and the changes will apply to the elevator.
He and the elevator team were working to implement the changes to fares by July 1 and to have none of the added complexity felt by the user.
Read said Horizons supported any move that encouraged a greater uptake of public transport.
“The Community Connect scheme will continue to support lower-cost fares for a significant number of our users when the blanket half-price fares scheme ends,” Read said.
Given the short timeframe between the announcement and implementation of the scheme, Horizons had not reviewed the potential impact the changes would have on patronage.
It will continue to monitor the scheme and report its impact to the Horizons Passenger Transport Committee.
Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.
