Proposed "improvements" to the public transport management system could turn back the clock on Dunedin's bus services to "rough old buses and plenty of exhaust", Otago regional councillors say.
The comments came after Transport Minister Stephen Joyce wrote to the council about his intentions to change the Public Transport Management Act 2008 to provide better ways of developing commercial services and achieve value for money through a competitive market for contracted services.
Policy and resource planning director Fraser McRae said in a report Mr Joyce believed the Act gave councils too much control over commercial services and therefore intended to remove from the Act the power to terminate commercial public services in order to replace them with contracted services.
"Unless managed carefully, there is a risk this shifting emphasis towards commercial services might compromise the council's ability to continue planning and improving the integrated Dunedin public transport network as a whole."
Cr Michael Deaker said at a recent committee meeting Dunedin had had a "dreadful" experience under a more fully commercial transport system and the changes seemed to be promoting free market politics over "quality, security and safety".
Cr Duncan Butcher agreed and asked whether it would mean a return to "rough old buses and plenty of exhaust".
Cr Bryan Scott said there was nothing wrong with trying to achieve cost savings unless it was done at the expense of the work the council had done to lift bus standards.
Chairman Stephen Cairns said the proposed changes were a "significant rewind" of all the council's good work' the council had had "the rug taken out from underneath us".
The council would have to push its "own barrow" at a national level to get its concerns across, he said.
