John MacDonald: $8 bus fares? No thanks

There is no way I would pay $8 to ride a bus, but we’re being warned today that that’s what we could end up paying in just three years.  

That’s because the Government has told councils right around the country that they need to find more money for public transport, so that they don’t have to rely so much on rates and government money to keep the buses and trains going.  

That’s the polite way of putting it. What NZTA is really saying is that the Government isn’t prepared to keep propping up public transport. Which, in the Greater Christchurch area, means massive fare increases are on the cards.  

That’s according to Environment Canterbury (ECAN) regional councillor Deon Swiggs. ECAN, of course, has the job of running buses here and he’s saying that if they followed NZTA’s request to the letter, we’d see the $2 bus fares go up to $8 by 2027.  

Where he gets that number from is that NZTA is saying to ECAN that it wants 38% of the cost of running the buses coming from private revenue.   

I use the buses quite regularly. I was on a bus on Saturday, and I think the bus service in the Greater Christchurch area is, all things considered, actually very good.  

But if the fares got up to $8, who would bother? If you work five days a week and get the bus, that’s potentially $90 a week in bus fares. Forget about it.  

Which is why I’m hoping ECAN is going to push back big time on this.  

We’ve seen the city council push back on directives from Wellington, and the regional council needs to do the same on this one.  

Still, maybe it's not surprising when we’ve got a government that thinks it makes sense to increase the speed limit on the Southern Motorway to get us from Rolleston to Christchurch 49 seconds quicker.  

A government that wants to press on with oil and gas exploration, and a government that doesn’t like pinging people with fuel taxes, and wants to make it cheaper for people to use their cars.  

It might not be surprising, but it’s crazy to think that people would want to —let alone be able to— pay $8 bus fares.  

But Transport Minister Simeon Brown doesn’t think it would be nuts.  

He says: “Taxpayers and ratepayers have been increasingly subsidising public transport in recent years. We expect councils to find efficiencies to keep these costs down and to look at maximising alternative revenue streams such as advertising on the public transport network.”  

The Transport Minister also thinks outfits like ECAN could lease out more space to retailers at bus stations and transport hubs. But as if ECAN is going to put time and effort into selling advertising or leasing out space. All it would do would increase fares. Through the roof.  

And if that happened, I would be kissing the bus goodbye.   

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Let me just say there is no way, there's no
way I would pay eight dollars to ride a bus,
but we've been warned today that that's what we could
end up paying in just three years time. Why is that, Well,
it's because the government has told councils right around the
country that they need to find more money for public
transport so that they don't have to rely so much

(00:34):
on rates and government money to keep buses and trains
and everything else going. Now, that's a polite way of
putting it. What the government and NZTA is really saying
is that the government isn't prepared to keep propping up
public transport, which in our neck of the woods and
the greater christ Rigeria that means massive fear increases are

(00:56):
on the cards. That's according to ecan Regional Council of
Dion Swiggs. He can, of course some regional council's got
the job of running buses. Here knows why regional councils
have to run buses. But anyway, that's how it is.
E Can runs the buses and Dion Swigs are saying
that if they follow NZTA's request to the letter, we

(01:20):
will see the two dollar bus fares go up to
eight bucks by twenty twenty seven. So three is time
where he gets that number from, or that increase from,
whichever way you want to look at it is that
NZTA is saying to e CAN that it wants the
private proportion of public transport funding. Now that that private proportion,

(01:43):
by the way, is weezel words for passengers paying through
the nose. So what's it Why the CAN has been
told is it has to have thirty eight percent of
the cost of running the buses coming from private revenue.
So e Can's done the numbers and dion swigs are
saying today that will take the two dollar fare up
to eight bucks. Now. Jess, when she was stuck on

(02:05):
that bus on the Northern Motorway earlier because of that crash,
she turned to a few people and said, what do
you reckon? I'm not paying eight bucks? I think it's
fair to say asn't aggests that they weren't impressed. Polite
way of putting it. I wouldn't be either, and I
used buses quite regularly. In fact, I was on a
bus last time I was on a bus was Saturday,

(02:26):
accorded at the interchange, and look, I know that place
has had a bad rap at times. This is the
interchange in town. But what a fantastic facility that is.
I mean, you get the old widow. There are other
people there who are probably saying the same thing about
me right now. Either way, I think the bus service
and the greater christ Ditch area all things considered as

(02:46):
actually very good more than very good. Now you might
say that I would say this, given I use buses anyway,
but I reckon. I reckon that the bus is not
the loser cruiser anymore. You ask young kids, not the
loser cruiser. They don't know what you're talking about when
you say loser cruiser. In fact, at two dollars a
trip compared to what it costs to run a car,

(03:08):
taking the bus makes you the winner, makes me the winner,
makes ess the winner as long as it stays two bucks.
But if affairs, if the fares go up to eight dollars,
who would bother if you work five days a week
and get the bus whilst that potentially ninety bucks a
week in bus fares, forget about it, which is why
I'm hoping e Can is going to push back big

(03:30):
time on this. You know, I've seen We've seen the
city Council push back on directives from Wellington before Ray,
and the Regional Council leads to do the same on
this one. It may not be surprising, though, when you
think about it, you know, it may not be surprising.
When we've got a government that thinks it makes sense
to increase the speed limit on the Southern Motorway to
get us from Rolston to christ Church forty nine seconds quicker,

(03:54):
a government wants to press on with oil and gas exploration,
and a government that doesn't like pinging people with fuel
taxes and wants to make it cheaper for people to
use their own cars might not be surprising. Nevertheless, it
is still absolute nuts to think that people would want
to let alone be able to afford to pay eight

(04:17):
dollars for a bus fare. Transport Minister Simeon Brown, though
he doesn't think it's nuts. That's why he's told NZTA
Tom write to e Can and tell them what they
have to do. Simeon Brown says, quote taxpayers and ratepayers
have been increasingly subsidizing public transport in recent years. We
expect councilors to find efficiencies to keep these costs down

(04:37):
and to look at maximized maximizing alternative revenue streams, such
as advertising on the public transport network. End of quote.
He also thinks, by the way that e Can could
lease out more space to retailers at bus stations and
transport hubs. But as if e Can is going to
put time and effort into selling ads or leasing up space,
even though we've got one counselor talking tough today, the

(04:59):
factor of the matter is all he can would do.
If NZTA and the government stuck to its guns all
the way doers that would increase fares increase them through
the roof, and if that happened, I would be kissing
the bus goodbye.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
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