Andrew von Dadelszen Former Regional Councillor

Oh my goodness – why are our buses not attracting patronage? Tauranga's bus patronage is negative for the last year, in spite of strong population growth. And in Rotorua it is an absolute disaster – down nearly 19 per cent for the year.

Up until the end of 2013, Tauranga's bus patronage was increasing strongly, but since then it has been going down. Why? I would say it is because councillors aren't taking enough interest to ensure the bus service is fit for purpose. I say this after reading all of the minutes of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Public Transport sub-committee.

Talking to commuters, our buses are not reliable – often being very late so commuters can't rely on the timetables to get them to work on time. This is hopeless, and a huge waste of ratepayer and taxpayer money.

Our buses are too big, being rarely filled, and the bus service makes our regional council look bad. Come on Bay of Plenty Regional Council – stop wasting our targeted rate, and get the bus service reliable so our commuters can have confidence; so they will begin to use the service as envisioned. Don't accept mediocracy – get the buses running to time, and the fares structured appropriately – not one fare no matter how far you travel – and the commuters will come.

If you have a view on these or any other local government issues, I invite you to email me at andrew@vond.co.nz or visit www.vond.co.nz