An Upper Clutha public transport trial will be included in the Otago Regional Council’s draft long-term plan after a unanimous vote on Wednesday. A “skeleton” public transport service operating eight trips per day, seven days per week was put before councillors at a full meeting in Dunedin. Speaking before the council’s decision, Wānaka-Upper Clutha community board chairman Simon Telfer said the public transport service would make a huge difference but needed to ensure the trial was properly resourced and “not undercooked”. “It needs frequency, it needs reliability, the trial needs to be substantive in nature. "We’ve seen what happens in the likes of Queenstown when we try and play catch up with our transport services and infrastructure, so we need to commit and act now, for the future and move on from the approach of being an ambulance at the bottom of a cliff,” he said. He called on councillors to endorse the public transport investment case, and its inclusion into the draft long-term plan for community consultation. In the investment case, developed by council staff, a ‘‘skeleton bus service operating eight trips per day, seven days a week,’’ was identified by as the preferred option. The investment case proposed trips within the Wānaka and Albert Town area to cost $2.50 and trips between Wānaka and Lake Hāwea to cost $3. While council staff described this as a ‘‘skeleton’’ service, it would represent a significant step up from the frequency of service offered by the shuttle trial operated by Community Link in 2022 and 2023. Allied Media reported earlier this month it could take until 2037 before there was an eight-trip-a-day bus service, but the council staff’s preferred option was for the service to launch in early 2028. The investment case stated the indicative annual operating cost for this service would be about $1.07 million, with $100,000 in implementation costs in the first year. Buses would come from the council’s existing fleet. Service and fleet improvements were planned on the approval of longer-term funding. Council staff proposed 49% of the cost of the service be met through ‘‘targeted rate funding’’ — meaning residents would pay for the service in their regional council rates. The remaining 51% would be sought from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). Whether NZTA would fund the service was identified as one of the primary risks to the service. If NZTA co-funding was not secured, the council would have needed to consider funding in full with rates, the investment case stated. Council staff recommended councillors approve the endorsement of the investment case and note the preferred option would be put forward for inclusion in the council’s 2027 long-term plan, as well as being included in its public transport service improvement programme for Otago’s 2027-30 Regional Land Transport Plan and 2027-30 National Land Transport Plan bid. Cr Gary Kelliher said as development continued and the community grew there was a need for further services. “As we have public transport in the Queenstown area then I do concur we are reaching a point where we do need some services [in Upper Clutha] and it will be interesting to see how the community are prepared to support the potential funding model through the LTP,” he said. evie.sinclair@alliedmedia.co.nz
