In February last year, the Otago Regional Council confirmed it would examine how a "Queenstown model'' of public transport would work in Dunedin.
Regional council chief executive Sarah Gardner said at the time staff were creating models of how a similar system could work in Dunedin, which were to be available in the middle of last year.
Since November 2017 the resort town's buses have been partly funded by the regional council, the Queenstown-Lakes District Council and the NZ Transport Agency, with a flat fare of $2 per ride.
Regional council corporate services director Nick Donnelly said yesterday no review of fare structure had begun.
The council's current public transport priorities were the new route and timetable structure and the bus hub, he said.
Fare structure changes could be considered as part of the regional public transport plan review, which would start at the end of the year.
"Any options that may allow for alignment with DCC's parking strategy and allow for a small co-funding arrangement, as is the case in Queenstown, would also be considered at this point.''
The regional council was part of the Connecting Dunedin group along with the city council and NZTA, which included governance representatives from each council.
ORC chairman Stephen Woodhead said the cost of most of Dunedin's buses was already low and was not a deterrent to passengers using them.
"We've had 8% to 11% growth in passengers month on month in Dunedin.
"That tells me that passengers are actually accepting and liking the changes that have been made.''
Passengers needed to pay for some of the cost of the expensive service, he said.
The regional council was committed to getting more people on buses and the bus hub, as well as an upcoming tag-on, tag-off ticketing system would help with this.
The regional council was happy to continue talks with the city council about how the system could work in the future, Mr Woodhead said.
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"ORC chairman Stephen Woodhead said the cost of most of Dunedin's buses was already low and was not a deterrent to passengers using them."
I'd really like to know where he got that 'fact' from, as it is most definitely NOT true.
I know a whole heap of people, myself included, who don't take busses because of the price, when other places offer free or cheap ones (like Q-town).
Maybe he should actually go out and talk to residents instead of ask his advisors.
'Talk to residents' Indeed that is the answer. Stephen Woodhead has no idea what is going on. Just look through the tinted bus windows not your rose tinted glasses. The buses go around EMPTY or just 1 or 2 on them and no amount of expensive public relations porkies will alter that fact.
It has to be cheaper by bus than by car (and parking) before people will use them.