Councillors are due to adopt the council’s regional public transport plan 2025-35 at this week’s council meeting.
A staff report listed seven changes councillors have been asked to approve, including a 25% increase to adult fares to $2.50.
Free rides for children were set to be discontinued and children and youth fares were scheduled to go up to $1.50, the report said.
Alongside the base fare increases, a structure involving ‘‘fare zones’’, where people pay more for longer trips, was also due to be approved.
However, the council needed to do further analysis and modelling and so there was no timeframe for the introduction of zones within Dunedin and Queenstown at present.
The report said consultation drew 549 submissions, a 183% increase from the last time the council consulted on its 2021-31 plan.
‘‘The general sentiment of submissions was that the plan was well-written, and the chosen focus areas and objectives were appropriate high-level goals for this plan,’’ it said.
‘‘Most submitters were pragmatic and acknowledged the public transport challenges our region faces, including the current constrained funding environment.’’
The report noted the government this year asked the council to increase its ‘‘private share’’, or the amount of operating costs gathered from users rather than central or local government.
Private share targets of 20% this year, 23% next year, and 25% the following year were supported by the hearings panel, the report said.
Many submissions sought new services, increased frequency or longer service hours for existing services.
Submitters requested new public transport services to connect Wanaka and Upper Clutha, including a Wanaka to Queens-town bus service, the report said.
There were calls to connect Oamaru to the Dunedin network, as well as a fixed route or on-demand service for the town.
There were also calls for a Dunedin airport bus, and public transport options for Balclutha, Outram and Central Otago.
‘‘Submitters expressed concern that the need for these services was now, not in the more vague time frame of ‘the next 10 years’ as indicated on the network maps in the plan,’’ the report said.
It also noted submitters’ interest in rail and other possible future modes of transportation.
The panel recommended the inclusion of ‘‘investigating the role of rail in delivering regional services’’ as well as minor amendments to text in the plan.
A hearings panel of Crs Andrew Noone, Elliot Weir and Kate Wilson heard submitters in Dunedin on May 13 and 14 and in Queenstown on May 16.
The panel deliberated on the submissions on May 19.
