NOTICE OF MEETING
Notice is hereby given of the Meeting of the Community Services Committee to be held in the Council Chamber, First Floor, Civic Administration Building, 101 Esk Street, Invercargill on Monday 09 February 2015 at 4.00pm
His Worship the Mayor Mr T R Shadbolt JP Cr R L Abbott (Chair) Cr P W Kett (Deputy Chair) Cr R R Amundsen Cr N D Boniface Cr I L Esler Cr G D Lewis Cr Rowly Currie (Environment Southland) (Total Mobility and Passenger Transport)
EIRWEN HARRIS MANAGER, SECRETARIAL SERVICES
Finance and Corporate Services Directorate Civic Administration Building • 101 Esk Street • Private Bag 90104 Invercargill • 9840 • New Zealand DX No. YA90023 • Telephone 03 211 1777 • Fax 03 211 1433 2 A G E N D A
Page
1. APOLOGIES
2. PUBLIC FORUM
2.1 REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLAN HEARING TIMETABLE 5
3. MONITORING OF SERVICE PERFORMANCE
3.1 LEVELS OF SERVICE 7
3.1.1 Community Development 8
3.1.2 Passenger Transport 9
3.1.3 Pools 10
3.1.4 Libraries and Archives 12
3.1.5 Housing Care Service 17
4. MONITORING OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE 19
4.1 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 20
4.2 PASSENGER TRANSPORT 20
4.3 POOLS 20
4.4 LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES 20
4.5 HOUSING CARE 20
4.6 FINANCIAL SUMMARY 21
5. ACTIVITY PLAN REVIEW/FORWARD PLANS
5.1 SUBMISSIONS TO REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLAN 27
Appendix 1 29 Appendix 2 102 Appendix 3 129
6. ACTION SHEET
3 7. OTHER BUSINESS
7.1 REPORT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
7.1.1 Community Development Projects 133
7.2 REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF WORKS AND SERVICES
7.2.1 Gymnasium Addition Revised 135
Appendix 1 137
7.3 REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES
7.3.1 2015/16 Fees and Charges 167
Appendix 1 169
8. URGENT BUSINESS
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4 REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLAN HEARING TIMETABLE
9 FEBRUARY 2015
Submitter Page Time Submission’s Name No No. 4.05 pm Callan Goodall – Driving Miss Daisy Invercargill 001 29 4.15 pm Carol Swale – Total Mobility Transport Chairperson 002 37 4.25 pm K Henderson – Blue Star Taxis Invercargill 003 39 4.35 pm Roger Heale – New Zealand Taxi Federation 004 41 4.45 pm Russell Turnbull – Go Bus Transport Limited 005 45 4.55 pm Janice Burton – Public Health South 006 47 5.05 pm Mary O’Brien – CCS Disability Action Group 007 51 5.15 pm Carolyn Weston – Association of Blind Citizens 008 59 5.25 pm Brendon Murray – Disabled Persons Assembly 010 65 5.35 pm Jide Sammuel – Golden Ride Transport Services 011 67 5.45 pm Bruce Richards – NZ Transport Agency 012 71
5 6 TO: COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE
FROM: THE DIRECTOR OF WORKS AND SERVICES
MEETING DATE: MONDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2015
MONITORING OF SERVICE PERFORMANCES
Report Prepared by: Melissa Short – Strategy and Policy Manager Commentaries from individual managers
SUMMARY
Reporting on the Community Services levels of service measures for the period comprising 1 July 2014 to 31 December 2014.
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended that the report be received.
IMPLICATIONS
1. Has this been provided for in the Long Term Plan/Annual Plan? The report monitors performance in relation to levels of service measures identified in the Long Term Plan and the Annual Plan. 2. Is a budget amendment required? No 3. Is this matter significant in terms of Council’s Policy on Significance? No 4. Implications in terms of other Council Strategic Documents or Council Policy? No 5. Have the views of affected or interested persons been obtained and is any further public consultation required? No
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
No financial implications arise from this report.
7 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
1 July 2014 to 31 December 2014 Neighbourhood Support Number of households involved in Neighbourhood 1,352 Support. Number of groups involved in Neighbourhood Support 102
8 PASSENGER TRANSPORT
Graph of Passenger Transport Numbers
Graph of Passenger Transport Farebox Recovery
9 POOLS
Use of Services Annual pool usage maintained at a minimum of 6 visits per head of population. (LTP measure)
EVENTS
January NZ Synchronised Swimming Team Training Camp Splash Palace Holiday Programme Splash Palace Summer Swim School Splash Palace Ice Pool Party
December Summer Swim School School Holiday Programme
November Thursday 27th Southland Swimming Champs Friday 28th Southland Swimming Champs Saturday 29th Southland Swimming Champs Sunday 30th Southland Swimming Champs
COMMENTARY:
It has been another very hectic summer holiday period this year for Splash Palace with November being our busiest month for the year so far. 36,000 admissions during the month kept the team here busy and December, normally one of our quieter months, was not far 10 behind with just over 35,000 admissions, impressive given we were closed for Christmas Day and on reduced hours over the New Year period.
The school holiday period itself went off reasonably well with no major issues or problems experienced during the traditional ‘silly’ season. In past years we’ve had problems with some younger people and petty crime, however this seems to have been mitigated by the improved security systems around poolside (cameras) and the good relationship Splash Palace has with Community Police who occasionally visit for a walk-through of the facility.
Splash Palace also hosted the New Zealand Synchronised Swimming Team for their National Training Camp. These camps are being run at a couple of different locations nationwide and we will have them here every six weeks leading up to championships. The members and support crew of the team were very much impressed with the facility, many comparing Splash Palace favourably with their own local swimming pools. The coffee in particular was well received by the coaches and parents.
In partnership with Coastguard, Splash Palace will be hosting various Coastguard courses beginning in late January. Southlands drowning toll shares a strong relationship to boating incidents and it is hoped by making the Coastguard courses more accessible more people will learn about boating safety.
The first course to be offered will be Day Skipper, followed by VHF, Club Safety Boat Operator and Boatmaster courses. Additionally, Splash Palace will be implementing the Coastguard Safe Boating initiative into our ILT Learn to Swim programme which includes use of an inflatable boat in the pool to teach children the basics of boating safety.
Commentary provided by Peter Thompson MANAGER – AQUATIC SERVICES
11 LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES
Graph of Library Services Borrowing Levels
Visitor Numbers
2013 2014 November 42,092 45,607 December 40,523 36,508 TOTAL 82,615 82,115
Membership
From Added November / December Added November / December 2013 2014 Invercargill 259 363 Bluff 3 6 Other 12 7 TOTAL 274 376
Total Circulation
2013 2014 November 48,960 49,049 December 49,339 46,620 TOTAL 98,299 95,669
12 eBook/ eAudio Circulation Statistics
November / December 2013 November / December 2014 eBooks 1,873 2,286 eAudio 196 356 TOTAL 2,069 2,642
COMMENTARY:
Summer Reading Challenge
The Annual Summer Reading Challenge was run again this year with great success. From its first beginnings with Children’s Librarian, Elizabeth Miller, it has evolved and we are getting more and more buy in from kids and teens, even on top of the loss of participants through the splitting of registrations between Invercargill children and Southland District children. 660 children registered for the most recent programme up from 637 registrations last year and 247 teens registered this year up from 74 teens the year before.
The programme was complemented with a range of fun activities for the kids and teens to do during the summer holidays. We offered many events including a Minecraft marathon, library sleepover (not really a sleepover), scavenger hunts, movie nights, story times and more. These events were all well attended with positive feedback. Thanks go to the Parks Department for allowing us to use the Band Rotunda as a Storytime venue.
Children’s Winners: Harri Pickett, Patrick Sheppard, and Zak Thomas
Teen Winners: Chloe Lewis, Josh Capil, Samuel Rodgers-Foran, Shreya Bir, Hamish Muhl, and Bayleigh-Marie Calder-Wood
13 Programmes
Our weekly pre-school programme for 2015 will be on Wednesdays from 10.30 am to 11.00 am, reducing it from two mornings a week to one. This will allow more flexibility for school class visits to the library and out of library visits to pre-schools and schools, both of which have been steadily increasing in the past year. In the last two years, since the change to the bus timetable and routes, there has been a noticeable drop in attendance at our pre- school programme on Thursdays, however, Wednesdays has remained steady. Our programme continues to change and develop becoming increasingly interactive and involving different activities associated with traditional story telling.
We are also pursuing some opportunities to create connections with the pre-school community in Bluff by introducing a fortnightly Wriggle and Rhyme session for under 2 year olds held in a community space as there is limited room in the Bluff library. This will tie in with existing monthly pre-school visits in Bluff and visits to the Bluff library. We are looking forward to this extension to our services that has been instigated by the Bluff community as a result of our presence there already.
14 SOUTH ISLAND CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULTS LIBRARIANS CONFERENCE
Megan Burns, primary school librarian, presented at the South Island Children and Young Adults conference in Balclutha October 2014.
Her presentation was “I've outgrown preschool...what's next?", highlighting the clubs and programmes Invercargill City Libraries and Archives have on offer for our school aged children and teens. Our new and updated clubs were designed to help us to connect with young people who may not be traditional library users, or huge readers, to highlight that the library is no longer just about books. In an increasing digital world we are trying to provide content that will increase young people’s digital literacy. As well as these clubs the library has been offering a range of programmes throughout the year including Winter Reading, Treasure Hunt/Amazing Race, Photo competition, Short Story and Illustration competition, Summer Reading, Zombie Movie, Photo Scavenger Hunt and a Paranormal Prom.
This is an annual conference with the 2015 one being held in Timaru. Invercargill Public library is keen to pursue an opportunity to host this conference in 2016. It is a number of years since the conference has been this far south, and would be an opportunity to collaborate with both Southland District and Gore libraries and promote Invercargill.
EVENTS & DISPLAYS
Events / Visits
Regular Book Chat, After School Clubs (now includes Lego Club, Minecraft Club, Film Club & Arts and Craft Club), PreSchool, Wriggle & Rhyme, Visits to Bluff Kindergarten, Crafternoon tea, Chatter, Music in the Foyer and Community Hotseat.
3 November FairWay Resolutions 4 November Compassionate Friends 6 November Book Restoration Workshop 6 November Agriculture New Zealand 10 November Inner Wheel – Southland Branch 11 November Dan Davin Literary Foundation 11 November FairWay Resolutions 12 November FairWay Resolutions 13 November Agriculture New Zealand 18 November FairWay Resolutions 19 November FairWay Resolutions 19 November New Zealand Society of Genealogy – Southland Branch 20 November Agriculture New Zealand Organic Course 24 November Soul Centre 26 November ASB 27 November Agriculture New Zealand 28 November PSA
2 December FairWay Resolutions 3 December FairWay Resolutions 4 December Agriculture New Zealand 5 December Knitwits knitters 8 December STS Student Exchange 11 December Agriculture New Zealand
15 12 December FairWay Resolutions 16 December Venture Southland 18 December Agriculture New Zealand
DISPLAYS
• Invercargill Vegan Society • Community College • Summer Reading Challenge • Rose Society
MEETING ROOM BOOKINGS
November / December 2013 November / December 2014 Meeting Room 43 47
Commentary provided by Marianne Foster MANAGER – LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES
16 HOUSING CARE SERVICE
Graph of Housing Care Occupancy Rates
COMMENTARY
Waiting List
December November October September 2014 2014 2014 2014 Invercargill 20 21 23 27 Bluff 3 3 3 3 Invercargill Supplementary 29 28 27 24 Bluff Supplementary 0 0 0 0
December November October September 2014 2014 2014 2014 Applications received 2 3 1 6 Tenancy Exits 2 1 7 1 Vacant Units 6 7 9 4
Complex Report
Occupancy levels for December and November were 97.1% and 96.5% respectively. We received nine enquiries over the period.
We have been holding two units vacant at Stirrat Street pending a decision to re-clad / rebuild or otherwise. These units will now be filled from the waiting list. 17
Following the Christmas break, some additional units will be refurbished and re-tenanted.
Commentary provided by Stephen Ridden CORPORATE SERVICES MANAGER
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18 TO: COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE
FROM: THE DIRECTOR OR WORKS AND SERVICES
MEETING DATE: MONDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2015
MONITORING OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
Report Prepared by: Cameron McIntosh – Director of Works and Services
SUMMARY
Financial commentary for activities reporting to the Community Services Committee for the six month period to 31 December 2014.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That this report be received.
IMPLICATIONS
1. Has this been provided for in the Long Term Plan/Annual Plan? Yes. 2. Is a budget amendment required? No. 3. Is this matter significant in terms of Council’s Policy on Significance? No. 4. Implications in terms of other Council Strategic Documents or Council Policy? No. 5. Have the views of affected or interested persons been obtained and is any further public consultation required? Not applicable.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The financial commentary and financial accounts are provided for information.
19
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Community Development is working within budget expectations. The Youth Council commences in mid-February and project costs for youth projects will be incurred in the remaining four months of the year.
HOUSING CARE
For the six month period finishing on 31 December 2014, the year to date rental revenue is $22,627 ahead of budget. Operational expenditure is on target leaving a surplus year to date of $38,366 which reflects rental demand and higher than budgeted occupancy levels. Our expectation is that this trend will continue to year end.
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES
Results for the year ended 31 December 2014. Income has improved and is now meeting budget. Operational expenditure is under budget and capital expenditure is also under budget. The Library and Archives rates required is in credit by $16,190.
PASSENGER TRANSPORT
The current net rates requirement to 31 December 2014 is $46,500.00 less than budget. This under expenditure will come back into line when the new bus shelter works commence in March 2015.
POOLS
Operational income and expenditure to 31 December 2014 are 1% behind and 2.5% ahead of budget respectively. This is largely due to grant monies that have not yet been received, however Pools remain in a positive financial position.
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20 21 22 23 24 25 26 TO: COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE
FROM: THE DIRECTOR OF WORKS AND SERVICES
MEETING DATE: MONDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2015
SUBMISSIONS TO REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLAN
Report Prepared by: Melissa Short – Strategy and Policy Manager Eddie Cook – Senior Traffic Management Officer
SUMMARY
Twelve submissions have been received and eleven submitters wish to be heard.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the submissions (Appendix 1) be received and considered by Council;
AND
That after hearing submissions, a decision be made to adopt the Regional Public Transport Plan, subject to amendments arising from considering submissions.
IMPLICATIONS
1. Has this been provided for in the Long Term Plan/Annual Plan? No – changes to the Regional Public Transport Plan will have flow on effects to the Long Term Plan and Annual Plans. 2. Is a budget amendment required? No 3. Is this matter significant in terms of Council’s Policy on Significance? No 4. Implications in terms of other Council Strategic Documents or Council Policy? If adopted by Council will result in a new Regional Public Transport Plan. 5. Have the views of affected or interested persons been obtained and is any further public consultation required? The draft Plan has been publicly notified and submissions received.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
No financial implications arise from this report.
27 SUBMISSIONS TO THE REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLAN
The Regional Public Transport Plan was publicly notified for submissions on 1 November 2014 with the closing date for submissions being 5 December 2014.
Submissions to the Regional Public Transport Plan need to be heard, considered and decisions made on whether to adopt the Plan and any amendments to it.
An amended version of the Regional Public Transport Plan, that incorporates suggestions put forward in submissions, has been included for Council's consideration and is attached as (Appendix 2).
Submissions
Twelve submissions have been received. Submissions have been collated for consideration (Appendix 1). A summary of the submissions has been prepared for Council’s consideration (Appendix 3).
Eleven submitters have requested to be heard in support of their submission.
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28 APPENDIX 1
Submission 001
29 (include extra pages if you wish)
Post this form to: Invercargill City Council Submission − Proposed Regional Public Transport Plan Private Bag 90104 INVERCARGILL Submissions close at 5.00 pm on Friday 5 December 2014 Please Note: submissions, including your name and address,30 will be in papers which are available to the public. DEC 2014
SCANNED
Monday 1 December 2014 Driving Miss Daisy 121 Mason Road RD1
Attention: Cameron Director of Works and Services Invercargill City Council
Submission − Proposed Regional Public Transport Plan in March of this year my wife and I purchased the Invercargill franchise for Driving Miss Daisy − a companion driving service. The Invercargill territory extends from Makarewa in the north and Bluff in the South including Wallacetown, Woodlands, and Invercargill.
We have decided after email dialogue with Eddie Cook from the Invercargill City Council and further discussions with yourself to put forward a formal submission with regards to the Proposed Regional Public Transport Plan.
Please note that this submission is in no way a criticism of those currently servicing the scheme but more a way of ensuring that the service is meeting its stated outcomes, especially with reference to the safety and dignity of those the scheme is intended for.
The Total Mobility Scheme provides subsidised taxi services to people who have an impairment that prevents them from undertaking any one or more of the following five components of a journey unaccompanied, on a bus, train ferry in a safe and
1. getting to the place from where the transport 2. getting onto the transport 3. riding securely 4. getting off the transport 5. getting to the destination Ministry of Transport − Total Mobility Scheme
We are encouraged to read that the proposed plan states
to continue for the Total Mobility scheme, and continue to improve the scheme to ensure it meets the needs of it
We were also very pleased to read that:
provision of a wheelchair service is desirable but not mandatory"
31 We believe that in any service industry there needs to be an element of customer choice based on the needs and wants of the customers. Under the previous scheme where all providers had to have a wheelchair service, there was limited choice for holders of total mobility vouchers in the area. They were able to only use Blue Star Taxis/Invercargill Taxis or they could choose an alternative provider but in doing so they we forced to forgo the use of their total mobility vouchers.
Whilst we have only been in the market a short while and have a relatively small client base over 70% of them are on the Total Mobility Scheme. They choose to use our service as it meets their needs though they were being penalized in doing so as they were unable to use their vouchers. None of them are wheelchair bound nor do they require a vehicle with wheelchair accessibility, in fact if they use a taxi it is a standard taxi. This is the case for the vast majority of those registered for the Total Mobility Scheme.
In the contact that we have had with Eddie he had suggested that the main reason for the continuance of this criteria was the need to be fair to those currently on the scheme as providers who had already funded wheelchair hoist vehicles. Whilst we acknowledge that this has been the status quo since the inception of the scheme we would like to put forward the case that the service must be driven by the needs of the clients within the Total Mobility Scheme rather than the needs of the individual businesses providing such services. We are therefore supporting fully the non−mandatory clause.
There are a large number of people eligible for the scheme in Invercargill and for a good number of these the current scheme has been meeting their needs. What we would like to ensure is that the scheme is catering for all users in a manner (ie not excluding those with more specialized needs). In our brief time in the market we have dealt with a number of people who are entitled to use the scheme but choose not to use it. Examples of these have been:
A blind lady who needs the security of knowing who is picking her up and is able to guide her in a manner that makes feel safe and She was not able to have this when she a driver each time.
A mother who is partially blind who requires her children to be transported to from school and to other various after school activities. She also requires the peace of mind of knowing who is dropping off and picking up her children.
A lady with elderly parents suffering from dementia, who required them to be from home to a rest home 3 times a week. She needs someone who knows the specialized needs of her parents and how to deal with them.
32 all three of these examples they are entitled to the Mobility Scheme but are not using it, as it is not meeting their needs. It is not as I have stated earlier a criticism of the current provider but more highlighting how one provider cannot possibly meet the needs of all people within the scheme. I have attached letters from two of these people explaining further their position in this.
To add to this under the Third Schedule (Part 1), Transport Licensing Act 1989 there is no requirement from a national level for registered providers to have a wheelchair accessible vehicle. This is simply a local exemption and in the vast majority of areas around New Zealand those with wheelchair accessible vehicles and those without are able to co−exist in the same market place quite harmoniously (Canterbury appears to be the only current exception to this).
As it stood the taxi companies enjoyed a monopoly position on this Government funded subsidy in providing this service and would have been in a position to do so for the foreseeable future. We do not believe this situation benefited all of those in need in our communities and we feel our specialized additional service would complement the current options. This would also be consistent with the rest of the country, which was one of the key recommendations of the 2005 review of the system carried out by the Ministry of Transport.
In a number of regions (10 other Regional Councils in the areas where we operate) throughout the country Driving Miss Daisy is a registered user on the Total Mobility Scheme and is proving to be very successful in both meeting the needs of the clients and satisfying the requirements of the local regional authority. We would encourage you to talk with Jack Harper who is the national owner/director of Driving Miss Daisy about how this is working though out the country. His contact details are 06−8770363.
In summary I would like to reiterate that this submission is based on ensuring that the scheme is meeting the needs of those the scheme serves. All people entitled to transport needs under the Total Mobility Scheme are entitled to a service that achieves this goal.
following Total Mobility scheme purpose statement will be applied nationally: 'The Total Mobility scheme is to assist eligible people with impairments to access appropriate transport to enhance their community participation. This assistance is provided in the form of subsidised door to−door transport services wherever scheme transport providers operate.'
The purpose statement defines the scheme's target group as people with impairments who are prevented by their from using buses, trains ferries. The purpose statement will be applied nationally." Total Mobility Scheme Guide for Local Councils
33 If possible we would like to the opportunity to speak to this submission. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you any further questions − 027−209−7312 or email
Director Driving Miss Daisy Invercargill
34 20 Robertson Street Invercargill 2173286
November 30, 2014
Mr Cook
City Council Esk Street Invercargill
Dear Mr E Cook:
I am writing the support of the Total Mobility Scheme application by Rachel Goodall ofDriving Miss Daisy.
My situation is that I have congenital monocular blindness. This condition prevents me from being able to hold a passenger vehicle license. I am a caring Mother of two children aged 6 and I am proud that my children and I either walk or cycle to school and nearby places as often as possible there often times where time constraints or the sometimes weather make less this much less possible and I then reply upon transport providers.
Whilst I have In the past been a regular user and utilized the Total Mobility Scheme this Is now no longer my prefer means when requiring to transport my children.
My main preferences using Driving Miss Daisy are;
• Familiarity with the driver for my Having the same driver day−in, day−out my children know whom tolook when they are up' from school and helps create trust. • The advantages of and trust for the times that I am unable to be there when Is necessary to pick up one ofmy children from an appointment or from class. The additional service that Driving Miss Daisy provides such as carrying the children's school bags or recreational to/from the vehicle to their
is to me that I have the choice to select the transport provider for each that I and/or my children make.
Sincerely,
35 7 July 2014
Eddie Cook City Council
Dear Sir,
I am writing in support of the application by Rachel Goodall from Driving Miss Daisy in regards to being an accepted provider in the Total Mobility Scheme.
My Mother is totally blind and lives in a residential care facility. She has been a regular taxi user for a number of years. With the arrival of a Miss Daisy to Invercargill, this has become her preferred method of transport (unless with one of her daughters).
Her reasons for preferring Miss Daisy is the consistency of service she receives. With Miss Daisy she has the same driver each time, that driver does not rush Mum and takes the time to escort her from her room to the vehicle and from the vehicle into the destination building. Miss Daisy also takes the time to bring Mum's goods & packages as a separate task, escorting her indoors or to the vehicle.
This may seem to the to a lady unsteady on her feet and unable to see, this extra service gives a sense of security and is exactly what is Mum needs the extra time and the service of being Mum needs the extra service of her packages being taken separately.
Mum is entitled to use the Total Mobility Scheme but is currently only able to use the taxi service. Her preference is Driving Miss Daisy for the extra care and attention she receives. We would advocate that it is Mum's choice as to which service she uses.
The declared fixed price method used by Driving Miss Daisy means that there are no surprises at journey's end as to the amount payable, which again is suitable for my Mother's needs.
Thank you for considering our situation.
Regards
Chesney
36 SCANNED
Submission Number: Submission 002
CONTACT DETAILS (Please print clearly)
Name: Carol Swale (Chairperson, Total Mobility, Transport Financial Committee)
Contact Person: (if the name above is an organisation) As above.
Postal Address:
277 Street
Invercargill
Daytime Telephone: 03 217 6498 Email: − Signature: ......
I wish to speak to the Mayor and Councillors about my submission: Yes No (Note: you wish to be heard, please supply contact email or phone number)
MY SUBMISSION ON THE PROPOSED REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLAN IS: That the current arrangements continue as at present (i.e., 24 hour 7 day a week service with
bound passengers provided adequately as at present. We have an excellent arrangement in Invercargill with the two taxi companies and this should not be jeopardised.
Post this form to: Invercargill City Council Submission − Proposed Regional Public Transport Plan Private Bag INVERCARGILL Submissions close at 5.00 pm on 5 December 2014 Please Note: submissions, including your name and address, will be included in papers which are available to the public. 37 38 Submission 003
39 BLUE STAR TAXIS SUBMISSIONS ON THE PROPOSED REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLAN IS:
In the 1980's the Late George Tyler Secretary of the NZ Taxi Federation at the time put together the concept for Total Mobility and Taxi Companies that where part of the Taxi Federation offered their services throughout NZ to make this scheme what it is today.
Blue Star Taxis has been part of Total Mobility in Invercargill from the day it started. We started with one Mobility Van and at present we have five along with Cars to transport people with disabilities.
We have supplied a service 24 hours a day seven days a week. In those 30 years we have been involved with T M we have had very few complaints about the service the Company has supplied.
OUR SUBMISSIONS:
(A) Our fleet of Vehicle's now have In − Car Electronic Terminals and if the Council wished to change the way the billing system works to a plastic swipe card it can be done at very little cost. Our billing system operates through a Company called TaxiCharge NZ Ltd. Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch are now using the system.
(B) The maximum subsidy from the Council to convert a van to become wheel chair capable is $22,000 plus GST. A small increase should be allowed for each year as already the cost in four years has increased from $22,750 to $28,000 plus G S T. To put on a Wheel chair capable Van an operator would be looking at around $55,000 to $60,000 for a Van plus $6,000 towards the conversion.
(C) As the council contributes at present an amount of $22,000 to towards a conversion maybe the age of a Van should be looked at and say if on a Van to convert to be wheel chair capable it is to be no older than four years old coming into service, This would protect the Council's investment.
(D) At present the Councils policy has been if an organization wants to be part of the Total Mobility scheme the organization must also have a wheelchair capable vehicle With this policy it allows in this case Blue Star to do profitable work through the day and then the unprofitable work in the evenings. Over the week you then do end up making a profit by combining the day work and evening work together.
We notice in your Public Transport Plan that investigations will include "use of non−taxi and vehicles as providers of Scheme" (page 10 of the and on page 16 of the plan says "The provision of a wheelchair service is desirable but not Because of the costs involved in setting up a Mobility van we can see our owners may start going away from operating these types of vehicles as there would be no certainty in the work. We do offer a 24 hr service and we can see if some other provider moves into this work they will not be offering the same level of service that we do and this will we believe disadvantage a lot of Mobility users, if your proposal goes ahead we can see organization doing what we call the good work and avoiding the non−profitable work, our owners would be seriously looking at whether we would carry out a w/c service after say 7pm. The council needs to seriously look at this and what type of service they intend to supply to people with disabilities, we believe that people with disabilities should be able to have the same service as an able bodied person and that is transport 24 hours a day and 7 days a week including public holidays.
Blue Star Taxis does not have a problem with competition as long as all competitors are on the same playing field.
40 Submission 004
41 Submission
To the Mayor and Councillors of Invercargill City Council
The New Zealand Taxi Federation (NZTF) is grateful for the opportunity to submit on the proposed Regional Public Transport plan.
We believe, and our feedback from clients suggests, that users are extremely happy with the quality, diversity, availability and security of the Total Mobility scheme currently being provided by the Taxi industry in Southland. We are also delighted that the Council, like ourselves, are continuously looking to improve the scheme to ensure it meets the needs of its users'. We believe that a scheme that provides price fares (up to a maximum subsidy of $25 per and yet averages just $6.16 per trip when carrying over people is a huge win for the community. It also tallies with national data that highlights the AVERAGE rural Taxi fare sitting between $12 and $15 per trip. Clearly, at an average of 43 trips per year per person, the quality of life these people enjoy as a result of this scheme is significantly higher.
The NZTF is concerned at the possible change in direction the Council is taking with:
i) Use of non−Taxi companies and vehicles as providers of Total Mobility scheme
run their fares by meter, using a clearly posted tariff and this shows with the average fare being just $6.16 and offer a high quality 24−hour service, Blue Star Taxis are looking into utilising some of the best dispatch and fare processing technology available on the market and this will allow every trip to be GPS tracked and processed electronically, providing a complete audit trail of any and all trips taken. The professional utilisation of this data would also successfully weed out drivers if found trying to take advantage of the system to increase their fare take.
Any business classified within this category as a non−Taxi will be, by definition, operating under Private Hire laws. This has led to three major issues for councils to deal with:
a) Fare Increases: All Private Hire companies offer fixed fare trips. Companies such as Driving Miss Daisy having minimum single fares of $15 for Total Mobility work. This is a 20.6% increase in the average fare and will directly affect the Council's bottom line b) Security: Private Hire companies are neither required to have the dispatching systems, nor the in−car security that is currently present and taken for granted within taxis. This includes the cameras. Thus the opportunity for fraud and/or passenger abuse is drastically increased. There is also little ability to attain concrete information to the contrary.
1 Page 3 "Total Mobility" Southland Regional Public Transport Plan 2 − Page 3 "Total Mobility" − Southland Regional Public Transport Plan Page 9 Page 10 Future Improvements
42 c) Administration: Each and every Private Hire company would be eligible for Total Mobility work under the conditions suggested. This means Council would have to deal with each company on an individual and on−going basis. This will NOT lead increased and cost reductions. We would strongly suggest that you speak with Rob Braddock at Greater Wellington Regional Council about their struggles going down this road.
ii) Admittance to become a service provider is at the discretion of the ICC ...... The provision of a wheelchair service desirable but not
Currently, all providers are required to "assist in the provision of wheelchair hoist vehicles where demand warrants it funding This condition has resulted in the development of a professional, safe and committed fleet of operators that can cater for all the needs of Southland's community. We strongly feel that anyone undertaking Total Mobility work should show the same commitment and undertake the same costs as the current providers. The new condition of admittance completely undermines the previous condition and could lead to the erosion of both standards and care.
Clearly, anybody interested in Total Mobility work but is not committed to investing in a SUBSIDIZED wheelchair enabled vehicle does not have the interest of the wider community at heart and could easily be accused of "Cherry Picking."
Conclusion
The NZTF firmly believes in providing a high quality, value for money service to ALL the community, regardless of their status and ability. Not only that but we firmly believe that Taxis within Southland are delivering on this promise and can contribute more. The two clauses highlighted in this submission run in contrary to both the original goals of the programme and its continued drive for improvement.
We submit to have them removed their entirety.
Page 16 − Total Mobility
43 44 URBAN | SCHOOL | CHARTER |EVENTS
Submission 005 4 December 2014
The Chief Executive Invercargill City Council Private Bag 90104 Invercargill
By email: [email protected]
Dear Sir
Submission to Draft Regional Public Transport Plan 2015-2018
This letter is written as formal submission to the Invercargill City Council’s Draft Regional Public Transport Plan 2015-2018 (The Plan).
Introduction Go Bus congratulates Invercargill City Council (Council) on the content and presentation of The Plan. It reflects the results of significant and worth whilst consultation with our industry and the broad outcomes are supported by Go Bus.
We do have a number of specific points to raise however with regards The Plan and list these below.
Funding (Page 7)
Go Bus is concerned that without reference to the specific footnote, NZTA guidelines could imply to the reader that Invercargill should also attain a 50% fare recovery ratio. We think The Plan should be clearer that although 50% may be a reasonable target for cities the size and density of Wellington and Auckland, the economies of scale these cities enjoy cannot be replicated in Invercargill. We suggest Council is well placed to improve fare recovery in small, measured increments but would risk losing patronage in trying to achieve the same recovery margins as the large metropolitans.
Future improvements (Page 10)
We suggest you expand bullet point six to read “Introduction of vehicle improvements, such as newer buses with lower emissions and possibly air-conditioning” so as to capture opportunities for vehicles with improved emission standards. We fully support investment in improved infrastructure, such as; o shelters and providing service information at bus-stops, o Introducing an on-line real-time information system, and o Improving the central city bus terminal.
Go Bus – Auckland | PO Box 53027 | 4 -8 Pavilion Drive | Auckland 2022 | New Zealand | P 09 275 8811 | [email protected] | www.gobus.co.nz go bus 2014 rptp submission 45 Units (Page 11)
Go Bus supports the proposed unit structure. We note that The Plan states that ‘any new service will be deemed as a separate unit’. We suggest this reads ‘any new service outside Invercargill will be deemed as a separate unit’ as it is then clear all services within Invercargill are contained in the one unit.
Policies (page 13)
Fares In the Fares section, (page 15) we note that a 10% discount over cash for smart card fares is at the lower end of typical public transport discount regimes offered around the country. A higher discount would increase use of the smart card which would assist greater use of public transport.
Contract format When tenders are evaluated on price and quality we suggest that evidence of a quality driver training program be considered as well as relevant experience, track record, relevant management and technical skills, methodology and vehicle quality
Thank you again for the opportunity to provide this submission,
Go Bus would like to speak to this submission to Council on the date set in the Statement of Proposal - 9 February 2015.
Kind regards,
Go Bus Transport Ltd.
Russell Turnbull DIRECTOR - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
2 go bus 2014 rptp submission 46 SCANNED Submission 006
Public Health South DEC
Dunedin: Private Bag 1921, Dunedin 9054 Ph: 9800 Fax: 9858
Box 1601, Invercargill 9840 0900
Queenstown: Box 2180, Wakatipu, Queenstown 9349 Ph: 9156 Fax: 9169
SUBMISSION ON SOUTHLAND REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLAN
To: Director Works and Services City Council Private Bag 90104 Invercargill 9810
Details of Submitter: The Southern District Health Board
Address for Service: Public Health South Southern District Health Board Box 1601 Invercargill 9840
Contact Person: Janice Burton
03 2110900 ext. 719
Our Reference:
Date: 5 December 2014
Introduction Southern District Health Board (Southern DHB) presents this submission through its Public Health Service. This Service is the principal source of expert advice within Southern DHB regarding matters concerning Public Health. Southern DHB has responsibility under the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 to improve, promote and protect the health of people and communities. Additionally there is a responsibility to promote the reduction of adverse social and environmental effects on the health of people and communities. With 4,250 staff, we are located in the lower South Island (South of the Waitaki River) and deliver health services to a population of 306,500.
Public health services are offered to populations rather than individuals and are considered a "public good". They fall into two broad categories − health protection and health promotion. They aim to create or advocate for healthy social, physical and cultural environments.
This submission will begin with general comments and then focus on specific comments on aspects of the Southland Regional Public Transport Plan 2015 − 2018.
47 General Comments The Public Health Service wishes to highlight the value of working together with local government to consider the impact of various activities and plans on population health. The positive community health outcomes that can accrue when local government is cognizant of its potential to impact upon the health of citizens cannot be overstated.
Southern DHB expressed at the 2014 Annual Plan hearing process that staff within the public health service would welcome the opportunity to work more closely with the council. This may be in the form of providing public health advice but we would also be happy to assist in the development of strategies or policies to enable a Health in all Policies (HiAP) approach to be applied by council.
HiAP promotes healthy public policy. It is a way of working across government to encourage all sectors to consider the health impacts of their policies and practices, and at the same time it examines the contribution that a healthier population can make towards achieving the goals of other sectors. Many of the problems facing our community today require collective government and community action and HiAP is an innovative way of working together for a common purpose.
The Southern DHB has expertise in using health lens tools. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is an effective tool in understanding the potential health effects of a proposed policy or plan. It was used by the Dunedin City Council in the Central City Speed Restriction HIA, 2012 which was conducted jointly with Public Health South. The Health Lens Checklist is a simple tool that helps to identify potential impacts on health and considers both inequalities and the Treatymulti−disciplinaryof Waitangi. It consists of a series of six questions which are answered by a team. It is especially helpful in consulting with groups who do not necessarily respond to other consultation methods. The Southern DHB would be happy to work alongside the Council to implement this checklist to identify any potential impact on health of changes to the Southland Regional Transport Plan.
Comments Introduction The Public Health Service endorses the Council's decision to "continue to provide a subsidised service in Invercargill because of the benefits to city and the community of having an available and affordable public transport system." (p7)
We agree that the buses enable those reliant on public transport to travel to work, education, healthcare, welfare and food shopping. We would contend that to facilitate social inclusion, it is also important for people to be able to travel to recreation destinations. The four circular bus routes do offer opportunities to access parks and recreation centres in the central city area. However, although the ICC encourages healthy and active lifestyles through the use of its parks, there is currently no public transport to the Sandy Point domain and the variety of recreational activities available there. The absence of such a public transport service is a significant barrier to accessing recreational opportunities at Sandy Point Domain for those who are transport disadvantaged and these disproportionately include the socio−economically disadvantaged and those with disabilities. We would encourage the Council to consider providing some limited public transport options, perhaps for a specific period during January and February in the summer. This would also facilitate access to Oreti Beach.
48 The 2011/12 New Zealand Health found that one third of the adult population in Otago and Southland did not meet the physical activity guidelines in the past week. Improving accessible physical activity recreational opportunities could contribute to improving wellbeing.
Part A: Services to be provided, and associated policies Supporting access to services Employment The eight circular peak bus services will continue to cater for the needs of workers, and provide a realistic alternative to private transport and encourage environmental sustainability. Education The existing school bus service caters for students reaching Year 13 schools and facilitates students attending the school of their choice. This service also contributes to traffic safety by reducing congestion at school gates. Health Care Services In relation to the transport disadvantaged accessing health care services, the Southern District Health Board is pleased that the Kew Connection route passes Southland Hospital. Access to other medical services in the inner city could involve a bus change, but the cross city fare enabling two trips within the hour is an attempt to balance convenience and affordability. The Total Mobility Scheme for those whose disabilities is an excellent service which mitigates inequalities for the transport disadvantaged. Further, the service provided on two separate routes on weekdays to and from Southland Disability Enterprises is commended. Food Shopping We are pleased to note that each of the four routes passes at least one major supermarket which facilitates access to shopping for the transport disadvantaged. Groceries can be heavy items to carry − especially if purchasing fruit and vegetables to consume at the recommended 5+−a−day level with its corresponding benefits to health and wellbeing. Commitment to an inclusive service Council's commitment to a fully wheelchair accessible service is valued. We are pleased to note that the ICC is providing bike racks on all city buses − a strategy which supports active transport. The availability of and public announcements on the service is supported, as are the promotional strategies employed to increase awareness and use of the services that supports environmental sustainability and public health. We are supportive of council's investigating the improvements to the service identified on page 10. Public transport outside of While the challenges of meeting criteria for New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) funding is acknowledged, the Southern DHB believes there are some genuine transport access issues for a number of people living in rural Southland communities. The service offered by health shuttles is very helpful, but the transport disadvantaged need access to other services such as education and welfare. We would support Council working with communities in seeking creative solutions.
Ministry of Health. (2012). Data tables: results for larger public health units − adults. Retrieved from:
49 Part B: Background and Context Assistance of the transport disadvantaged
This is based on an important public health principle. The council is catering for the needs of some of its vulnerable population groups − those with disabilities, those without cars, students and those who are retired or not in full−time employment, who can also take advantage of the subsidised off peak public transport system. We commend the council's commitment to supporting routes and timetables designed to take passengers from their homes to basic community services and activities at a reasonable cost. Southern DHB congratulates the ICC for its work in the 2012 review of the city bus service and subsequent changes which sought to balance the needs of the transport disadvantaged with the desire to reduce the subsidy costs to taxpayers and city ratepayers. We note currently that the passenger fares cover approximately 33% of the costs against the NZTA Guidelines requiring at least 50% and the council's intention to increase the passenger contribution
The current routes and timetables provide a convenient peak service and may encourage others to choose this public transport option which is more sustainable and environmentally friendly than using private cars. Research in has shown that:
• reduced car use leads to improved health outcomes, less traffic congestion, lower cost transport, improved air and water quality, decreased noise pollution • less fossil fuel use leads to environmental improvements and increased community vitality • increased active transport levels leads to increased physical activity levels, improvements in a range of health conditions, increased social inclusion, improvements in health equity, and improvements related to social interactions and crime
Summary The Public Health Service of Southern District Health Board, would be interested in working with the Invercargill City Council to support actions which we have identified in relation to the Southland Regional Public Transport Plan 2015 We look forward to working with the City Council to achieve these outcomes for our community.
We will wish to be heard in support in support of this submission.
Yours sincerely
Janice Burton Professional Leader, Health Promotion Public Health Service Southern District Health Board
2 Fishman, E., Garrard, J., Ker, & (2011). Cost and health benefit of active transport in research and review (Stage One Report). Queensland: Health Promotion Queensland
50 Submission 007
CCS Disability Action Submission on the
Southland Regional Public Transport Plan 2015 -2018
We would like to speak to our submission.
1
51 CCS Disability Action Southern Region
CCS Disability Action is one of the largest disability services providers in New Zealand. We have been advocating for people with disabilities since 1935. Today, our organisation has a strong disabled leadership and human rights focus.
CCS Disability Action has a National Office and regional management structure, and provides services nationally from sixteen incorporated societies. We deliver services to over 5,000 people of all ages with disabilities who choose to access our support. We also administer the Mobility Parking Scheme for over 114,000 people.
In Southland CCS Disability Action delivers services to 200 people and we also administer the Mobility Parking Scheme for 1753 people across the Southland Region.
Definitions
The Land Transport Management Act i(section 5) uses the term transport- disadvantaged - people who the regional council has reasonable grounds to believe are the least able to travel to basic community activities and services (for example, work, education, health care, welfare, and shopping).
We define disability as that contained in the New Zealand Disability Strategy ii which states “disability is a process which happens when one group of people create barriers by designing a world only for their way of living, taking no account of the impairments other people have.”
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCPRD)iii was ratified by the New Zealand Government in 2008. This means that central and local government are bound to implement the convention. Article Nine Accessibility – states that disabled people have equal rights to access to the physical environment, transportation, information and communications.
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52 Total Mobility Service
The Total Mobility scheme – a Guide for Local Authoritiesivpublished by the Ministry of Transport describes the Total mobility scheme (see box below).
The Total Mobility scheme provides a subsidised taxi service to people with serious mobility constraints by way of taxi vouchers that provide a discount of 50 percent off the normal taxi fare. It also provides funding to help purchase and install wheelchair hoists in taxi vans. The scheme is founded on the central tenet that people with impairments who are unable to use buses, trains or ferries as a result of their disability should be assisted with a subsidised alternative by local and central government. This reflects the legislative requirement under the Land Transport Management Act 2003 for local and central government to consider the needs of the transport disadvantaged, and is reinforced by the NZTS (2002).
The scheme is primarily a transport service, and is no more a social, health or disability service than any other type of transport service. Any person would be at risk of social isolation and adverse health outcomes if they did not have adequate access to appropriate transport. The scheme provides its members with access to transport and the means to participate in their communities in whatever way they choose. Eligibility An eligible person must have an impairment that prevents them from undertaking any oneor more of the following five components of a journey unaccompanied, on a bus, train orferry in a safe and dignified manner: 1 Getting to the place from where the transport departs 2 Getting on to the transport 3 Riding securely 4 Getting off the transport 5 Getting to the destination.’ These new criteria more clearly outline the necessary elements of an ‘accessible journey’, to help determine eligibility. This is consistent with the approach outlined by the Human Rights Commission, which describes an accessible journey as follows: ‘for a person to get from their home to a destination and then home again requires a number of linked steps. All these steps are of equal importance. If one link is broken or inadequate, the whole journey becomes impractical’ (Human Rights Commission, 2005).
3
53 Total Mobility Service in Southland
We have received positive feedback regarding the current service, the plan states that approximately 52,000 Total Mobility trips (1,000 trips per week) are made annually in Southland. This demonstrates a high demand for the service.
Disability in Southland
The 2013 Disability Surveyv states that 26% of the Southland population has a disability and that fifty-nine (59%) percent of the New Zealand population over the age of 65 years has a disability. The rate of disability in New Zealand will increase as the population ages. This increase will be associated with a significant increase in chronic conditionsvi.
People with disabilities in New Zealand are often socioeconomically disadvantaged. The total personal income for adults with disabilities is significantly lower than for adults without a disabilityv. Sixty four percept of disabled adult New Zealanders have a gross annual income of $30,000 or less compared with 45% of non–disabled adultsiv.
Accessible transport is essential for disabled people
Access to the physical environment and public transport is a precondition for freedom of movement vii. Using the Total Mobility service is not optional for many disabled people, this is how disabled people travel to see the doctor, meet a friend, keep an appointment, attend a social event, meeting, participate in club activities etc. etc.
The lack of accessible public land transport is one of the biggest barriers to active participation in society faced by disabled people today. Accessible public land transport can determine whether disabled people can take part in society in ways that non-disabled people take for grantedvii.
4
54 Submissions
Level of service
It is our submission that the council maintain the current or an increased level of service. Disabled people have the right to the same level of community access as non-disabled people.
We believe that factors listed on page sixteen (see box below) of the plan will reduce the availability and quality of the Total Mobility scheme and that this reduced service and have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of disabled people. We also believe that a reduced service may result in disabled people being confined to their homes from 7pm to 7am. This is not freedom of movement.
• Assist in the provision of wheelchair hoist vehicles where demand warrants it and funding permits • The service availability hours are at least 7am to 7pm and that • The provision of a wheelchair service is desirable but not mandatory
Assistance for the Transport disadvantaged
The plan does not state specific measures that would assist the transport disadvantaged to access bus transport. We request that the plan specifically states how it will assist the transport disadvantaged. By clearly stating which buses are accessible in bus timetables, electronic time tables and any other time table information.
Requirements for Urban Buses
We request that the plan specifies what portion of buses in Invercargill and Gore are accessible and meet the Ministry of Transport Requirements for Urban Buses and that the plan details how it will achieve the access standards required by the plan.
5
55 Consultation with the Disabled Community
CCS Disability Action considers that the council consolation with the disabled community regarding the Dual Pedestrian Clearance Interval Trail was very successful. We marked this collaboration and the United Nations International Day of Disabled Persons by presenting Eddie Cook Senior Traffic Engineer with a certificate of appreciation recognising the positive contribution that this system will make to disabled peoples lives.
We believe that regular consultation with the disabled community regarding bus transport and Total Mobility would contribute to public transport becoming more accessible. It is our submission that the council form a disabled access group to consider access while developing the final plan and that this group
• Provide advice and feedback to the council when it consults with contractors regarding ways to improve service and patronage and monitoring the bus service. • Provide advice to the council on the future development of bus shelters and the city terminal. It is our experience that the design of such facilities prevents disabled people from using these facilities. • Provide advice to the council when developing ways of improving ticketing, the use of the Bus Smart card. Many disabled people are prevented from using buses by ticketing systems that are difficult to read etc. • Provide advice to the council regarding the development of bus time tables (booklets and on line). When developing a new bus time table booklet the Otago Regional Council (ORC) consulted with the disabled community and in particular with people with visual impairments.. This resulted in the development of a timetable booklet that is clear, concise and easy to see and read. The ORC has received positive feedback regarding this. • Providing advice regarding the development of real time information systems – factors such as font size, type and colour and the use of capital letters can prevent disabled people from being able to being able access timetable information and being able to use the bus.
6
56 Cost of Bus Travel and Mobility Taxis
The cost of bus and mobility taxi travel is a barrier to disabled people using these services. We submit that when considering bus fares that the council ensure that the cost is not a barrier to disabled people by providing discounted fares to people with disabilities. This could be managed by providing a discount to Community Service Card Holders.
Provide Disability Awareness Training for bus drivers
We recommend that the council provide disability awareness training for bus drivers. It is out experience that this assists drivers to support disabled passengers. CCS Disability Action is able to assist with this.
Conclusion
Thank you for this opportunity to make a submission on the plan. We have enjoyed our recent collaboration with the council and look forward to working with the council to improve access. By improving access to urban buses and maintaining a high quality Total Mobility scheme that is available twenty four hours a day seven days a week the council will not only increase patronage but Improve access to social and economic opportunities for all.
References
i Land Transport Management Act 2005. http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2003/0118/latest/DLM226230.html accessed 4.12.14 ii Minister for Disability Issues, New Zealand Disability Strategy, April 2001. iii http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml accessed 04.12.04 iv http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/total-mobility-council-guide/docs/total-mobility-council-guide.pdf accessed 04.12.04 v 2013 NZ Disability Strategy. Statistics New Zealand vi Alleviating The Burden Of Chronic Conditions I in New Zealand. Literature Review. 2011. Connelly.M vii Making Disability Rights Real Whakatuturu nga tika hauatanga. Human rights Commission. 2013.
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57 58 Submission Number: Submission 008
INVERCARGILL CITY COUNCIL SUBMISSION FORM: PROPOSED REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLAN
CONTACT DETAILS (Please print clearly)
Name: Association of Blind Citizens NZ Southland Branch
Contact Person: (if the name above is an organisation)
Mrs Carolyn Weston, Branch Secretary
Postal Address:
20 Ingram St, Kingswell, Invercargill 9812
Daytime Telephone: 03-2164616 Email: [email protected] Signature:
I wish to speak to the Mayor and Councillors about my submission: Yes (Note: if you wish to be heard, please supply contact email or phone number)[email protected]
MY SUBMISSION ON THE PROPOSED REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLAN IS: The Association of Blind Citizens NZ (Blind Citizens) is an organisation of blind people speaking for ourselves. We have a number of branches throughout the country and as the Southland Branch, we advocate on issues relating to our members residing in Southland.
We would like to congratulate Council and the bus contractor for the much improved bus service in Invercargill. Recently we produced a blindness awareness DVD for people working in the transport arena, (for bus drivers, taxi drivers and ground staff at airports). Blind colleagues throughout the country who have viewed our DVD marvel at our Invercargill accessible bus service. Whilst you mention things like audio announcements on buses and braille signs at all bus- Post this form to: Invercargill City Council Submission – Proposed Regional Public Transport Plan Private Bag 90104 INVERCARGILL Submissions close at 5.00 pm on Friday 5 December 2014 Please Note: submissions, including your name and address, will be included in papers which are available to the public. 59 stops you have not suggested that you demonstrate to other councils how easy they can make their bus service more accessible for blind people. We believe Invercargill is miles ahead of other cities in relationship to accessible bus services for disabled people.
You have mentioned some minor improvements of the bus service. We suggest more:
Buses: :Providing bus routes on tactile maps, the Hamilton City Council recently obtained
funding from “Making a Difference” MSD to produce tactile maps, showing the position of
services accessible to disabled people. We would be interested in talking about this and
we can provide a contact person who developed these maps for Hamilton City to explain
how this was done.
Provide information about Time-tables and bus fares in accessible formats: Little
knowledge within the blind community is known about the Senior Citizens Bus Fare which
persons 60 years and over may use. There is universal knowledge about the Gold Card for
people over 65 years. There could be an increase in the number of older people using the
bus in peak time if they were aware of the Senior Citizens Fare. We would like to know
more about this fare so we suggest that information such as fares and timetables should be
on the Telephone Information Service, ensuring this is updated when required.
Upgrading Central Bus Terminal: We agree with this proposal as there is no dry seating
available when it is raining. We hope that the upgrade will include a warmer, drier,
sheltered waiting area where passengers can sit and wait for a bus.
Although we speak as blind people, we also have a number of members who have multiple
disabilities. We are concerned that the newer bus-shelters being erected do not have
seats. Some people may be able to walk but have difficulty standing in one place.
Invercargill has an aging population so seating in waiting areas will be more important as
we all grow older.
Post this form to: Invercargill City Council Submission – Proposed Regional Public Transport Plan Private Bag 90104 INVERCARGILL Submissions close at 5.00 pm on Friday 5 December 2014 Please Note: submissions, including your name and address, will be included in papers which are available to the public. 60 When changes were made to the bus routes and timetables in 2012 we were assured that
these would be better for all. However, we have received comments from some members
suggesting that not everyone has benefited from the changes. One person no longer
catches the bus because she has a lot further to walk from her home to her closest bus-
stop. She says, “The bus stop is too far”. Comments have also been made regarding the
lack of a bus stopping near Farmers/The Warehouse. These are popular shops, some
distance from Central Bus Terminal. There is still a bus-stop outside Farmers but there is
no longer a bus that runs past there. We would like to see maybe one of the north routes
changed to accommodate stopping outside Farmers or The Warehouse.
Bus Time-table: Others have commented about the lack of a bus before 10.30am on
Saturdays. People go to the gym, go shopping, play sports or may work before 10.30am
on Saturday. Even if the first bus was at 9.45am this would better suit people’s schedules
and commitments. People either walk or get a taxi because there is no bus. It is not so
easy walking the streets of Invercargill in winter weather.
Fare Box Policy: We agree with the Invercargill City Council’s policy on Fare Box. It’s
more realistic to expect passengers to pay 40% of the cost of service compared with
NZTA’s suggestion of 50%. Many bus passengers rely on lower incomes and they cannot
afford to pay much more for transport. Passengers will restrict their bus trips if the fare
goes up too much. This will reduce Invercargill’s Fare Box target.
Total Mobility: Our members rely on the Total Mobility service. Without this most of us
would not be able to afford to travel by taxi. We continue advocating for Invercargill to
introduce ID Total Mobility Cards. Many northern cities are now introducing electronic
cards which make it much easier for passengers and taxi drivers to administer. It’s about
time that Invercargill introduced these cards so we are not seen by the rest of the country
Post this form to: Invercargill City Council Submission – Proposed Regional Public Transport Plan Private Bag 90104 INVERCARGILL Submissions close at 5.00 pm on Friday 5 December 2014 Please Note: submissions, including your name and address, will be included in papers which are available to the public. 61 as old fashioned. We would like a time-frame aligned to this strategic goal identified so a
measured outcome can be achieved.
Quality of Service: We found little mention of quality passenger service in the Total
Mobility goals of this Draft Plan. We are concerned that little mention is made of driver
training other than new driver training. As producers of a disability awareness training
DVD, we are concerned that Council is not promoting such training resources to taxi and
bus companies which should be used for on-going driver training. Whilst we will be giving a
copy of our DVD to the local bus and taxi companies, there may be changes in the future
and new companies may be contracted. We believe that as Council has no costs
associated to this improvement, you should be marketing disability awareness resources
which will enhance the quality of customer service.
We would like to thank Council for this opportunity to have our say. If you intend to make minor changes relating to the bus routes or time-tables, we would like to be consulted on these changes at the time.
Post this form to: Invercargill City Council Submission – Proposed Regional Public Transport Plan Private Bag 90104 INVERCARGILL Submissions close at 5.00 pm on Friday 5 December 2014 Please Note: submissions, including your name and address, will be included in papers which are available to the public. 62 Submission 009
63 64 SCANNED Submission 010 Disabled Persons Assembly Southland DEC 2014 C/O 62 David Street
9810
December 2014
Submission to The Southland Regional Transport Committee Regional Plan
Invercargill City Council
Esk Street
Invercargill
Submission to Community Consultation
As President of the above organisation I am placing this submission in relation to the contention that operators other than taxis be licenced to provide total mobility and that Providers need only provide services between 7am and 7pm and that to be a providers they need not provide a wheelchair accessible van. As a group we are happy to let other reputable providers provide services but we strongly object to the other changes total mobility is for all disabled people where and when they need it the should be able to be taken home from a trip as and when they need the service not at the time as that suit the provider and they should be accessible for all types of disability not just those that can transfer those who need an accessible cab at a specific time are already restricted in the length of time they must wait as a limited number are available. If we do away with the obligation to provide is quite possible the operators that presently provide wheelchair equipped Taxis may decide not to replace defeating the process completely and further reducing the options open to a vulnerable and transport disadvantage section of the community.
A disable person has enough Barriers in their lives without limited access to the one mitigation to their transport need available Invercargill led the way in accessible bus transport and total mobility provision don't go backwards and potentially remove their choices.
I ask the opportunity to give a more substantive oral submission when they are heard.
Brendon Murray
Southland and national President
Disabled Person Assembly
65 66 Submission 011
67 68 69 70 Submission 012
71 72 73 74 75 76 Southland Regional Public Transport Plan
2015 – 2018
July 2014
77 Southland Regional Public Transport Plan
Contents The Plan in brief ...... 3 Invercargill bus service ...... 3 Total Mobility ...... 3 What we have done in the last few years ...... 3 What we are planning for the future ...... 4 Related Council transport documents ...... 4 Introduction ...... 6 Funding ...... 6 Purpose of the Plan ...... 7 Public transport ...... 7 Part A: Services intended to be provided, and associated policies ...... 8 Services Council intends to provide ...... 8 Invercargill City bus service ...... 8 Total Mobility scheme ...... 9 Future improvements ...... 9 Regional matters ...... 10 Units ...... 11 Value for money ...... 11 Working with contractors ...... 12 Fares ...... 12 Policies ...... 13 Part B: Background and Context ...... 17 Legislative requirements ...... 17 Attachment 1: Services to be provided ...... 19 Attachment 2: Fare-box recovery policy ...... 20 Attachment 3: Significance Policy ...... 24
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78 Southland Regional Public Transport Plan
The Plan in brief This Regional Public Transport Plan sets out Invercargill City Council’s intentions in respect to its ratepayer funded public transport and taxi/shuttle subsidies. The Plan also addresses public transport needs elsewhere in the Southland region.
Ordinarily a Regional Passenger Transport Plan would be prepared by the local regional council. Comment [HMC1]: The correct However Council has been delegated by the Southland Regional Council the responsibility for terminology is Regional Public Transport Plan preparing this Plan for the Southland region.
Council is preparing this Plan because recent changes to the Land Transport Management Act requires a new Plan, covering the new matters introduced in that legislation, to be in place by 30 June 2015.
This Plan replaces the previous Plan adopted in 2012. Because it is only two years since that Plan was prepared, this new Plan introduces few new changes.
The focus of this Plan is to build on the changes to the Invercargill city bus services which were introduced on 3 December 2012.
The current services subsidised by Council, and the plans for the future, are:
Invercargill bus service Council intends to continue to provide a bus service in the city. The city bus routes and timetables have recently been substantially revised and the new contract introducing the revised bus service commenced on 3 December 2012.
Close monitoring of the new service is occurring, and while no major changes are planned for the service, some “tweaks” are possible. Several new bus shelters have been installed as part of the changes, and more are in the planning stage.
There are also no plans to change the school routes which form part of the city bus contract, but tweaks to these are also likely to ensure the routes continue to meet the demands of the schools and their students.
Total Mobility Council subsidises the Total Mobility scheme in Invercargill and Gore. This scheme, delivered through taxi companies, provides half price fares (up to a maximum subsidy of $25 per trip) for people with disabilities. Taxi-vans capable of carrying wheelchairs are also provided under the scheme.
Council intends to continue support for the Total Mobility scheme, and continue to improve its administration to ensure the scheme meets the needs of its users.
What we have done in the last few years In recent years we have made major changes to the city bus routes and timetables:
o New routes and timetables have been developed. The main driver for these improvements was to reduce the growing subsidy cost of the service to the ratepayers of the city, and this has been achieved. The new service still provides substantial city-wide coverage.
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o A new contract, based on the revised service, has been tendered and awarded, and the new service commenced on 3 December 2012 o Introduction of the BusSmart smartcard for fare payments o Marketing of BusSmart brand on radio and newspapers o Audible announcements and wi fi service provision on suburban routes o Introduction of a constant 45 minute headway on suburban routes o New bus shelters have been installed o Extra buses have been provided where necessary to cope with the increase in school passenger numbers o Discussions with schools is on-going to ensure the services fit the demand We have continued to support the Total Mobility scheme for people with disabilities, and make administrative improvements to the scheme as required by NZ Transport Agency. These Comment [CB2]: Check references to “NZTA” change to NZ Transport administrative changes are aimed at making the scheme more efficient and better for its users. Agency or Transport Agency.
What we are planning for the future
What When
Monitoring of the new city service to ensure it meets the On-going needs of the community. This may result in adjustments to the new timetables and routes in response to levels of passenger demand
Discussions with schools regarding improvements to the On-going routes and times for the school services
Improving the administration of Total Mobility scheme (some On-going of which are required by NZ Transport Agency) Comment [HMC3]: What sort of improvements? We haven’t made any 1 Reviewing fare levels and fare structures for the bus service On-going policy changes in this space for a (in line with NZTA and Council requirements) number of years…
Improving infrastructure, such as the provision of timetable On-going information and shelters at bus-stops
Closer liaison and collaboration with our bus contractor On-going aimed at improving the bus service and increasing patronage
Improving the central city bus terminal 2015
Investigating the introduction of a tertiary fare 2015
Investigating improvements to the ticketing system, 2015-18 including increasing the usage of the BusSmart card Comment [CB4]: Should refer to the regional ticketing system project in the Investigating the use of advertising to provide more revenue 2015-18 main content. which can then be used to improve services
Related Council transport documents Other Council documents relevant to public transport in Invercargill include: • The Council Ten Year plan and the Annual Plan
1 The fare level is the actual fare charged; the fare structure is the basis on which the fare is calculated (such as distance, time etc.)
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• The Environment Southland Regional Land Transport Plan2 • The Council Procurement Strategy3
2 The Land Transport Management Amendment Act 2013 provides for regional land transport strategies and regional land transport programmes to be replaced in 2015 by a single regional land transport plan. The regional land transport plan is currently being prepared by Environment Southland and contains the region-wide transport funding plan for the next six years 3 This document is required by NZTA and sets out the Council approach to be taken to procuring public transport services. A Procurement Strategy will be prepared prior to the next tender round
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Introduction Invercargill City Council (Council) is required by the Land Transport Management Act 2003 (LTMA) to prepare a Regional Public Transport Plan (the Plan). The LTMA sets out the requirements regarding the Plan’s content and the consultation process required in preparing the Plan.
This Plan updates the 2012 Plan to ensure it meets the requirements of the recent changes to the Land Transport Management Act 2003, which governs public transport. The changes to the Act included the introduction of a new operating model for public transport in New Zealand, with regional public transport plans being the cornerstone of the new operating model.
Matters that must now be addressed by the Plan include the following: • How Council will work with bus operators to ensure services meet the needs of the passengerscustomers • How the bus services Council intends to provide will be arranged into “units”4 • How bus fares will be reviewed and set • The contractor incentive schemes to be contained in the contracts. Comment [HMC5]: Is this intended to refer to the Financial incentive mechanism, or the wider set of Funding partnering tools set out in chapter 8? Public transport services in Invercargill, as in the rest of New Zealand, are subsidised. The subsidy is Comment [CB6]: This is not a core provided in approximately equal proportions by Council and the New Zealand Transport Agency content requirement. Refer to section 120 of the LTMA. (NZTA).
Subsidies are provided because of the recognised benefits to the city and the community of having an available and affordable public transport system. In Invercargill, these benefits are largely social – the buses enable those without other forms of transport to get to where they need to go (in particular, to places of work, education, healthcare, welfare and food shopping). Comment [HMC7]: But the ability to access these opportunities does have an economic benefit Currently in Invercargill passenger fares cover approximately 34% of the costs of providing the service; Council pays 33%, and NZTA 33%.
The NZTA funding comes with a number of rules and requirements. One of these is that passengers Comment [HMC8]: The Transport 5 Agency does not require all regions to should, on a national basis, contribute one-half of the costs of providing the service . Council is achieve 50% FBRR. The 50% was an currently at about 34% and thus is below that target, but it is working towards increasing this, and indicative national target set in 2010. The the changes introduced in December 2012 went a substantial way towards that. aim is to increase patronage with reduced reliance on subsidy – overtime we would expect FBRRs to increase to greater than NZTA funding is not unlimited, and it has capped funding at current levels for the immediate future. 50% Any increase in funding is required to be supported by a suitable business case prepared in Comment [CB9]: Incorrect. Transport accordance with NZTA requirements.. Agency must apply the GPS priorities and outcomes as well as work within the GPS funding ranges. The The LTMA states that only services specified in a Plan are able to be subsidised. The recent changes Transport Agency’s criteria relates to strategic fit (in relation to the GPS), to the LTMA introduced in 2013 changed the administration of public transport in NZ by introducing effectiveness and efficiency. Any 6 a new operating model known as PTOM . PTOM is designed to encourage closer co- application for funding for improvements must be supported by a ordinationcollaboration and partnering between the funders of public transport and the provider of sound business case using the the bus service to grow patronage with less reliance on public subsidies. Transport Agency’s Business Case Approach framework. Comment [HMC10]: • The LTMA states that Public transport services must be provided under contract unless 4 exempt (s116). See later in this Plan for a discussion on units The GPS states that only contracted services can be subsidised while the 5 NZTA does recognise that smaller towns may have a lower recovery rate than 50% Agency’s policy (PIKB) says they must be 6 Public Transport Operating Model part of an adopted RPTP.
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Purpose of the Plan The LTMA states that the purpose of a Plan is to provide: • A means of encouraging Council and public transport operators to work together in developing public transport services and infrastructure; and • An instrument in engaging with the public in the district on the design and operation of the public transport network; and • A statement of: o The public transport services that are integral to the public transport network; and o The policies and procedures that apply to those services; and o The information and infrastructure that support those services. This Plan sets out Council’s intentions and policies regarding public transport in Invercargill in the next three years. The Plan takes into account all relevant national and local policies, and the public transport funding from NZTA likely to be available to Council.
This Plan is in two parts:
• Part A sets out the services Council intends to provide, and the policies which apply to these services • Part B provides background and context information, and information legally required. Comment [CB11]: Would it be sensible to shift these around. Need a section at the front of the document as Public transport to why Southland invests in public transport, what changes/challenges The “public transport” referred to in this Plan is the subsidised bus service within Invercargill and any might affect the transport networks and other council subsidised bus service in the Southland region, and the taxi service as it relates to the public transport in Invercargill over the Total Mobility scheme. next ten years, and how ICC plans to respond, and the role of public transport in that response. It does not include long-distance bus services, Ministry of Education funded bus services, privately funded bus services, or train services.
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Part A: Services intended to be provided, and associated policies
Services Council intends to provide
Invercargill City bus service Council provides the bus services within Invercargill city. It does this by means of a subsidised contract with a local bus operator7. The current contract began in December 2012 and runs until December 2017, and can be extended to 29 June 2022 should certain performance criteria be met.
The current city service operates every 45 minutes on four city routes, between the hours of 6.45am and 6.40pm on weekdays. Six services operate every 45 minutes on Saturdays between the hours of 10.30am and 3.40pm. In addition, six school routes operate within the city on school days. Council believes that this timetable and city-wide coverage is suitable for Invercargill given the current demand levels and the costs of providing the service.
Council believes that the service provided should be a modern one catering for the reasonable needs of all passengers, and thus it intends to provide a fully wheelchair accessible service with features such as audio announcements, wi-fi and bike racks. In addition, Council will ensure information about the service is readily available through a variet of formats, and will provide shelter and timetable information at popular bus-stops.
Between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2014 approximately 270,000 passenger trips were made on the city bus service. Of this number, 60,000 passenger trips were made on the school services. The annual total gross cost (i.e. before passenger revenue is taken into accounted) of the current service for those 12 months was $979,000.
Passenger revenue was $333,000, which means that passenger fares covered 34% of the total costs of providing the service. The remaining 66% ($646,000) was met by subsidy. Comment [CB12]: We have slightly different figures reported in Transport Investment Online. Suggest you follow The subsidy is shared equally between NZTA and Council, meaning the ratepayers of Invercargill up with Nick Hunter. contribute about $323,000 annually towards the bus service. That equates to a ratepayer subsidy of a little over $1.20 per passenger-trip.
The new bus service features: • Four city routes plus one providing a morning and evening trip for Comment [CB13]: ? • Five school routes (each providing a morning and afternoon service). • One school route providing an afternoon service only
The combined annual in-service kilometres for these routes is 306,000.
The current routes and timetables are shown in Attachment 1.
Prior to the new service commencing in December 2012, the city bus service cost about $1.5m annually to provide, and had a subsidy cost of about $1.3m (Council share of $650,000). Passenger numbers were about 370,000.
7 The current bus operator is Go Bus Ltd
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The new service costs substantially less to provide than the previous service, and passengers contribute substantially more towards its costs. Thus the cost to the ratepayers of Invercargill is now substantially less (about half of what it was previously).
Passenger numbers are lower than the previous service, but have been climbing steadily since the new service was introduced.
The new services are being closely monitored by Council, in conjunction with the contractor, to ensure that the services continue to meet the needs of the community. Council recognises that, given the substantial nature of the 2012 changes, some subsequent “tweaks” to the routes and/or timetables may be needed to ensure the needs of the passengers are met and costs minimised. Modifications will be made as necessary.
Any changes may be made without any formal or publicly notified amendment to this Plan. Comment [HMC14]: Any changes? Changes to the plan need to be done in accordance with the significance policy Total Mobility scheme – some types of changes may require Council provides administration support and funding for the Total Mobility Scheme. This scheme targeted consualtion. provides transport assistance to people with disabilities through the provision of half-priced taxi fares (up to maximum subsidy per trip of $6). Total Mobility operates in Invercargill and Gore. Comment [CB15]: ?
Approximately 56,000 trips are made annually in Southland on the Total Mobility scheme. 50,000 of these are made by scheme members who reside in Invercargill, 5,500 by residents of Gore and 200 by residents of Southland District (when they visit Invercargill). The annual cost of this service is approximately $300,000 in Invercargill, $23,000 in Gore, and $1,200 in Southland District.
Currently about 1,300 people in Invercargill, 200 in Gore and 20 in Southland District, are registered for the Total Mobility scheme.
The scheme also provides taxi-vans capable of carrying people in wheel-chairs, and provides for an extra $10 subsidy for the use of these taxi-vans in recognition of the costs and time involved in carrying passengers using a wheelchair. Council provides assistance with the costs of installing the Comment [HMC16]: Need to clarify that the $10 payment is for each necessary equipment into the vans to enable them to carry wheelchairs and mobility scooters. The person, per trip, who requires the use of maximum subsidy per van is $22,000. the w/c hoist.
Council administers the scheme, which includes the distribution of vouchers for use on the taxis, and payments to the taxi companies. A Total Mobility Committee, which comprises representatives of the local authorities in whose areas the scheme operates, the taxi companies and disability organisations, has been established to manage the scheme.
NZTA has certain rules about how the scheme is run and can be improved; Council (and the Total Mobility Committee) will comply with these rules (or look to implement the rules where it has not yet done so). Comment [HMC17]: I find this a bit confusing and misleading. We have polices, not rules and these haven’t changed for some time. What has been Future improvements implemented so far? Funding for any major service improvements to the passenger transport network is not likely to be available from NZTA in future. This is because NZTA has limited funds, and its current funding Comment [HMC18]: This statement is misleading it is the GPS that sets the priorities are focussed on Auckland and Wellington. However low or no-cost improvements may be funding priorities, not the Transport able to be made. Agency. The draft GPS for 2015-18 has much more nuanced messaging – there is a result about enabling access. Future improvements for the subsidised services that will be investigated include: Comment [CB19]: See my comments
above under “CB9”
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• Improved infrastructure, such as shelters and providing service information at bus-stops • A new bus service where there is a demonstrable demand for the service and local and NZTA funding is available • Introduction of a new tertiary student fare Comment [HMC20]: Is there a case for this? What problem are they trying • Increasing the use of the BusSmart Card to address, and what impact will it have • on farebox recovery? Formatted: Font: Not Italic • Improvements to the administration of the Total Mobility scheme which will result in a more comprehensive service. Comment [CB21]: Are you referring to an automated TM system using smartcards? If so, should say so. NZTA requires that any proposals for additional future investment will have to be justified using the new NZTA Business Case Approach8.
Regional matters While the focus of this Plan is on Invercargill, this Plan does cover the rest of the Southland region. There have often been suggestions for new services, perhaps linking some of the regions towns or rural communities with the health or education facilities in Invercargill.
If a new service is proposed, Council, as the delegated authority in the region, will apply for funding from NZTA provided:
• There is demonstrable demand for the proposed service, identified by the relevant local territorial authority; • The local territorial authority has agreed to provide the local share of funding for the service; and • The local territorial authority will prepare (or fund) the business case, required by NZTA, to support the funding application.
Often a new service is introduced on a trial basis to establish actual demand levels.
However as discussed above, funding from NZTA is likely to be limited in the near future, and this is likely to restrict the introduction of new subsidised services. NZTA also has strict rules on what new services qualify for its funding. Comment [HMC22]: Again I find this a little misleading. Proposed services will go through the prioritisation process Council will assist the other local authorities in the region in assessing demand levels and any other and those that get the best ranking will matters relating to potential new services. get funded. This is not ‘strict rules’ Comment [CB23]: Again, see Because NZTA funding is only available for services specified in a regional public transport plan, comment under “CB9” should a new service meet the three qualifications above, this Plan will be amended to include the new service. The amendment will be deemed to “not be significant” in accordance with the significance policy (see later in this Plan) and thus the new service can be included in the Plan without a full review of the Plan.
Regional matters While the focus of this Plan is on Invercargill, this Plan does cover the rest of the Southland region. If a service is considered necessary in the region, Council, as the delegated authority in the region, will apply for funding from NZTA provided:
8 A suggested business case approach has been developed by NZTA, and is contained in the NZTA publication “2013 Guidelines for Preparing Regional Public Transport Plans”online Planning and Investment Knowledge Base
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• There is demonstrable demand for the service, identified by the relevant local territorial authority; • The local territorial authority has agreed to provide the local share of funding for the service; and • The local territorial authority will prepare (or fund) the necessary business case to support the service.
However as discussed above, funding from NZTA is likely to be limited in the near future.
Units The LTMA requires the public transport network in the area to be divided into “units”. Each unit must then be the subject of a separate contract. The Plan is required to set out the units that the Council intends be provided.
Because of the nature and size of the Invercargill bus service, Invercargill has traditionally had a single bus contract for the entire service. This is a logical arrangement and has worked well, and enables close cooperation between the Council and the bus operator. It is intended that this single unit/single contract system will continue. The unit will be procured by tender based on the approach outlined in the Council Procurement Strategy. The Procurement Strategy is currently being reviewed and will be in place before the will be reviewed before the next tender round is due.
The current contract for the city bus service runs until 2017, but contains provision for an extension until June 2022. Minor changes to the contract are permitted without the need for re-tendering, and thus the next tender is not expected until 2021 (assuming the current contract runs the full term).
The Council intends to provide financial assistance to this unit/contract.
There are no exempt services within the meaning of the LTMA in Invercargill that are being replaced by a unit.
Value for money Central to the purpose and intent of the LTMA is the concept of “value for money”, and this concept extends to the provision of bus services. NZTA has interpreted the “value for money” concept to mean the amount of subsidy provided to support a service, and in particular the contribution made by the passengers towards the costs of providing the service. This contribution is known as the fare- Comment [CB24]: No, see comment box recovery level, and is measured as the ratio of passenger fares to the costs of providing the under “CB9” service.
NZTA has a goal of an aggregated NZ-widenational fare-box recovery rate of no less than 50% by end of 2017/18. The current NZ rate is about 45%.
Prior to the new bus service commencing in 2012, Invercargill had a relatively highly subsidised bus service, and with a fare-box recovery level of 14% the Invercargill bus service had one of the lowest fare-box recovery levels in NZ. Council was under some pressure from NZTA to lift the rate.
Comment [CB25]: Need to check The new Invercargill bus service currently has an annual fare-box recovery rate of 34% (for the year formula and figures with what is ended 30 June 2014), and this rate is gradually climbing as passenger numbers rise (the fare-box reported in Transport Investment recovery rate for the month of May 2014 was over 40%). Online. Check with Nick Hunter. Our calculation is 26.6% for the same period.
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Council has set a long-term fare-box recovery rate target of 40%, which it considers realistic for a provincial town with a bus service catering primarily for off-peak services.
Value-for-money can also be measured by the total subsidy rate (ratepayer plus NZTA) per passenger trip. In Invercargill this rate is about $2.40 per trip, which compares favourably with other Comment [HMC26]: Does this align similar NZ cities9. with our numbers? I’ve only got the 2013-14 numbers which showing it being significantly higher. Council considers it now gets good value for money from its public transport network. For relatively Comment [CB27]: Our benchmarking small financial input, Council provides a bus service which meets the basic needs of those who rely performance measures show Invercargill significantly behind on a on public transport to access basic community services and activities. The Invercargill services are range of measures compared to other now better or comparable with other similar cities in NZ on the value for money criteria used to councils with small PT networks. compare services, such as subsidy per passenger and fare-box recovery. Again, discuss with Nick Hunter. Comment [HMC28]: Not true according to our figures. Working with contractors One of the objects of the LTMA is to encourage close partnerships between Council and their contracted bus operators. Council already has a very close working relationship with its contractor. This is aided by the small size of the Invercargill district and there being only one bus contract. Council recognises that the contractor has a unique and close perspective on how the service is performing and on what improvements might be made.
Council intends that this close working relationship will continue, and it will continue to hold regular meetings with the contractor to discuss ways of improving the services. A business plan for the contract will be prepared by Council, in conjunction with the contractor, which will outline what actions and improvements are proposed for the contract. This business plan will be reviewed Comment [CB29]: Business planning approach is outlined in the Procurement annually. Strategy and contract.
Council recognises that the best way to improve passenger numbers is to have a high quality service, both in terms of reliability and driver helpfulness. All contracts will therefore include requirements for the contractor to report regularly on certain performance indicators. These criteria will be based on those developed by NZTA10 and will include service reliability and punctuality, patronage, customer satisfaction, reporting timeliness, and vehicle appearance. For the current contract these Comment [CB30]: Need to align with indicators will be used to determine if the contract qualifies for an automatic extension of the Transport Agency Procurement manual requirements (section 11 of manual). contract period.
Contracts shall include a financial incentive mechanism. The financial incentive will provide for an annual payment to the contractor should certain targets be met. These targets will be based largely on patronage levels, and will involve a payment to the contractor for each passenger carried over and above a target figure (which will be the total passenger number from the previous year, adjusted if necessary for service changes and fare increases). More detail of the financial incentive Comment [HMC31]: Good to see an mechanism will be contained in the Invercargill Procurement Strategy which is under development. early indication of the type of FIM they are proposing
Comment [CB32]: Suggest you delete and provide detail in Fares Procurement Strategy. The LTMA requires the Plan to set out policies on passenger fares, and how fares will be set and reviewed. Council intends that the current fares will be maintained initially, but as is required by
9 The subsidy per trip in Whangarei is $2.50, in Whanganui it is $4, in New Plymouth $3, and in Timaru $3.50 [Doesn’t look like you are comparing apples with apples here. Our benchmarking paints a very different picture.] 10 This development process is on-going
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NZTA, fare levels will be reviewed annually and the fare structure will be reviewed every six years. The reviews will include Total Mobility fares, and any rules that apply to Total Mobility fares.
The review of fare levels will take into account matters such as inflation, fare-box recovery, Council and NZTA funding levels and policies, and user’s ability to pay. Council’s general policy is that fares should be increased gradually at regular intervals to reflect the changing costs of providing the service.
The six-yearly review of fare structures will consider issues such as how the fare should be calculated (possibilities include distance related fares, a flat fare regardless of distance travelled, time based fares etc.). Fares in Invercargill are currently based on a flat fare regardless of distance travelled (see below for more information on fares).
Policies The basic objective of the Council-provided public transport network is to provide services which meet the basic needs of the community, particularly those without access to private transport.
Specific Council policies relating to these services are as follow:
• Services provided o Provide and fund bus services aimed primarily at those without other transport options o Regularly assess the needs of the community with regard to its public transport needs o Work with its bus contractors to improve its services and increase patronage levels o Provide customer facilities such as bike racks, audio announcements etc.
• New services o Will be provided where there is demonstrable demand, where the relevant local territorial authority has agreed to fund the project, and NZTA funding is available
• Contractors o Prepare a business plan in conjunction with each contractor setting out the actions, aimed at improving the service, that will be taken during the next year of the contract o Review the business plan annually o Regularly meet with the contractors to discuss progress with achieving the actions set out in the business plan, and progress generally with the services, and ways to increase passenger numbers o Generally involve the contractor in decisions relating to the service, while at the same time recognising that it is Council that is the primary decision maker regarding the service
• Vehicles and drivers o Require modern low floor buses on the city services Comment [CB33]: Does the current fleet meet this criteria?
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o Comply with the vehicle standards as set out in NZTA’s Requirements for Urban Buses o Require bike racks on the buses used on the four city servicesroutes o Require next stops announcements on buses used on the four city routes o Require electronic ticketing systems on all buses o Require GPS tracking on buses used on the four city routes to assist with monitoring o Require full training for new drivers
• Fare system o An electronic ticket system, recording all trips and issuing tickets as appropriate, will be required on all buses o Child fares will be available . Children are defined as those aged 5-15 inclusive, or still at school and can prove that with school ID . The child fare will be approximately 65% of the adult fare Comment [CB34]: Why 65%? . Children under 5’s travel free Senior Citizen fares will be available to those over 60 years of age Comment [HMC35]: Why is there a o separate fare as well as the SGC, is o The SuperGold Card scheme providing free off-peak travel is available to those with there a rationale for this? a SuperGold Card (generally those over 65 years of age) o Off-peak fares and the SuperGold Card scheme will be available between 9am- 2.55pm weekdays, and on Saturdays Comment [HMC36]: This is different from the hours agreed by CAB - 9-3 o BusSmart Card users will receive a minimum of a 10% discount on all fares and after 6:30. Free all weekends and Peak-time bus fares are currently $2.60 per trip for adults, and $1.70 for children public holidays. Perhaps stick to CA o policy, but explain why there is slight and senior citizens deviation in practice. o Off-peak fares are $1.20 for all passengers Comment [CB37]: Not sure you need to mention fare levels here, just the fare o Fare levels will be reviewed annually. The last review was in February 2014 when structure and rationale for it. fares were increased. The next review is due in 2015 . The contractor will be involved in these discussion . In setting fares, the primary considerations will be the level of inflation (based on the Consumer Price Index) as it relates to the costs of providing the service, and the Council Fare-box Recovery Policy11 o The fare structure will be reviewed every six years. The last review was in 2012, and thus next review is due before 2018
• Monitoring Comment [HMC38]: Are there and KPIs in the contract that council is o Collect monthly patronage data monitoring? o Contracts will provide for reliability data to be collected by the contractor and made Comment [CB39]: Need to align with available to Council section 11 of the Transport Agency’s Procurement Manual. o Contracts will require vehicles on the city bus service to have a GPS monitoring system to assist in measuring service reliability o In conjunction with the contractor, regularly review the new city routes and timetables to ensure they continue to meet the needs of the community o Undertake an annual survey of passengers as required by NZTA.
11 This policy is re-produced in Attachment 2
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Formatted: Indent: Left: 2.54 cm, No bullets or numbering • Infrastructure o Look to improve the central city bus stop through the provision of shelter, seats and timetable information o Look to improve bus-stop facilities including providing shelters and easy access to the stops for those in wheelchairs o Promote the services . Though information being available at popular bus stops and on the Council website . Through the production of a freely available printed timetable . Through local newspapers (including community newsletters) and radio
• Contract format o The contracting of the bus contracts will follow the process set out in the Council Procurement Strategy and NZTA Procurement Manual o Subject to the Procurement Strategy and Procurement Manual, contract length will generally be nine years o Contracts will require operators to tender on the annual gross price of providing the service and the Council will retain passenger revenue o There will be one contract per unit, and thus currently there will be one contract o Contracts will contain a financial incentive mechanism aimed at encouraging the contractor to increase patronage Comment [HMC40]: What about annual business planning, KPIs and o Tenders will be evaluated on price and quality. Quality features will include relevant partnering principles? These elements experience, track record, relevant management and technical skills, methodology are all designed to work together to achieved increasing pax, and vehicle quality
• Total Mobility o Continue to administer and support the Total Mobility scheme o Manage the day-to-day operation of the scheme through the Total Mobility Committee which is comprised of councils, taxi companies and disability organisations. The Committee will be responsible for setting local rules within the guidelines set by NZTA o Continue to improve the administration of the scheme, and to meet the NZTA “Stage 2” requirements which qualifies Council for extra subsidy from NZTA Comment [HMC41]: They should already have met this? They’ve been o All taxi companies in the scheme are required to have contracts with Council getting the phase 2 FAR for as long as I’ve been looking after TM…?? o Assist in the provision of wheelchair hoist vehicles where demand warrants it and funding permits o Review fares and the rules applying to the fares as part of the fare level and fare structure reviews.
• SuperGold Card o Bus contractors will be required to participate in the SuperGold Card scheme as it relates to public transport o Council will continue to administer the SuperGold Card scheme subsidies.
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Part B: Background and Context
Legislative requirements Section 124 of the LTMA requires that a Regional Public Transport Plan must: • Contribute to the purposes of the LTMA12 • Have been prepared in accordance with NZTA guidelines13 • Be consistent with any regional land transport plan14 • Apply the principles specified in the Act, namely: a) Councils and operators should work in partnership to deliver services and infrastructure necessary to meet the needs of passengers b) The provision of services should be coordinated with the aim of achieving the levels of integration, reliability, frequency, and coverage necessary to encourage passenger growth c) Competitors should have access to public transport markets to increase confidence that services are priced efficiently d) Incentives should exist to reduce reliance on public subsidies to cover the cost of providing public transport services e) The planning and procurement of public transport services should be transparent • Take into account: o Any national energy efficiency and conservation strategy o Any relevant district plan o The public transport funding likely to be available Comment [CB42]: Would benefit from a separate section on funding o The need to obtain the best value for money, having regard to the desirability of availability eg current funding encouraging a competitive and efficient market for public transport services programmed and needs going forward… o The views of public transport operators Council has complied with all the above requirements when preparing this Plan.
Regional Land Transport Plan Section 156(2) of the LTMA requires that a Plan must take the public transport components of the relevant regional land transport strategy into account and must not be inconsistent with the relevant regional land transport programme15.
This Plan complies with those requirements.
Assistance of the transport disadvantaged The Plan is required to describe how it will assist the transport disadvantaged16. This Plan assists the transport disadvantaged though supporting routes and timetables designed to take passengers from where they live to places they want to go at a reasonable fare. Comment [HMC43]: Who are the transport disadvantaged in Southland? Has any analysis been done on this?
12 The purpose of the LTMA is to contribute to an effective, efficient, and safe land transport system in the public interest 13 NZTA is yet to prepare any guidelines based on the recent changes to the LTMA. The old NZTA guidelines, as far as they are relevant, have been followed in the preparation of this Plan [The guidelines were produced after the legislation came into force in June 2013! 14 There is no current Regional Land Transport Plan; the first plan will be prepared in 2014 15 The current Invercargill Regional Land Transport Strategy and Regional Land Transport Programme continue in existence until 30 June 2015 at which time they will be replaced by the Regional Land Transport Plan, which will be developed in 2014
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Fare-box Recovery Policy NZTA requires that all councils include in their regional public transport plans a NZTA approved Fare- box Recovery Policy. Fare-box recovery is the percentage of the costs of providing the service that Comment [HMC44]: The RPTP are covered by passenger fares. NZTA has been concerned that fare-box recovery is declining Guidelines say that a FBR policy must be included in the RPTP but does not say that nationally, and wants to reverse that trend. NZTA has set out what a fare-box policy must contain, the Transport Agency requires an which includes a target ratio of costs that are to be covered by passenger fares, and how the target “approved” policy. Such detailed approval is to be achieved. is not required.
Council policy is that in the long-term passenger fares should cover at least 40% of the costs of providing the bus service, and its fare-box policy is based on that. It had set an intermediate target of 30% recovery by 2014 and has exceeded that target. Currently passenger fares cover about 34% of the costs of providing the city services and this rate is gradually increasing. The new intermediate targets are a 12% point increase in fare-box recovery each year.
The full Council fare-box recovery policy is shown at Attachment 2.
Significance Policy All regional public transport plans are required by the LTMA to include a “significance policy”. This policy determines if any proposed change to a Plan is significant (in which case it must follow certain consultation requirements as set out in the Act) or not (in which case an abbreviated process can be used).
The Council significance policy in relation to this Plan is set out in Attachment 3. Essentially the policy states that small changes, and changes that have already been the subject of consultation, can be treated as “not significant” and thus need not be the subject of extensive consultation.
16 The Land Transport Management Act describes transport disadvantaged as those people whom the council has reasonable grounds to believe are the least able to travel to basic community activities and services (for example, work, education, health care, welfare, and shopping)
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Attachment 1: Services to be provided
Maps and timetables to be included
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Attachment 2: Fare-box recovery policy
In brief In accordance with New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) requirements, Council has adopted a fare-box recovery policy. Fare-box recovery measures the percentage of the gross costs of providing bus services that is covered by passenger fares (the balance of the costs is met in equal proportions by local ratepayers and NZTA). 17 The national fare-box recovery rate is currently about 47%. NZTA has a target rate of 50%, Comment [CB45]: This differs to the figure in the main part of the document. which it aims to achieve in the medium term. Suggest you tally all these numbers up with Nick Hunter. The fare-box recovery ratio for Invercargill bus services is currently about 34%. While the long term goal of Council is a fare-box recovery of 40% Council recognises that it may take some years to reach this goal. Therefore Council has set a target of achieving a fare-box recovery rate of 35% in 2014/15, and thereafter increasing by one percentage points per year until the 40% target has been achieved. Given that the costs of providing services are increasing by about 3% a year, Council will have to increase passenger revenues and/or reduce costs by at least 4% per year to meet the targets.
Background
NZTA requirements The NZTA requires that all regional councils/unitary authorities prepare a “fare-box recovery policy”, and include that policy in the Regional Public Transport Plan. NZTA require the fare-box recovery policy to: • Set a target fare-box recovery rate for the public transport system as a whole • Set out how the target was chosen • Set out a strategy as to how the target will be achieved • Set out how the policy complies with various relevant national and regional planning documents, and with legislation • Provide for an annual review of fare levels, and a review of fare structures at least every six years. NZTA prescribe the formula for establishing the fare-box recovery rate.
Services included The public transport services to be included in the calculation of the fare recovery are any contracted bus services operating in the region. Long-distance (e.g. inter-city services) services, privately funded school services, Ministry of Education funded school services, tourist and charter services are not included.
The fare-box recovery target In accordance with the NZTA policy, Council has measured fare-box recovery of the service as a whole rather than measuring individual routes or trips. Individual services, routes or
17 An aggregated figure for all NZ
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96 Southland Regional Public Transport Plan trips, particularly those that might be regarded as “social” services, are not necessarily expected to achieve the target set out in this policy. The table below shows the actual fare-box recovery level for the whole region for the last financial year, and the target rate set for the three years to 2016/17. All figures have been calculated using the NZTA fare-box recovery formula.
Actual fare-box Target Target Target recovery (2014/15) (2015/16) (2016/17) Comment [CB46]: Would be good to (2013/14) include the target for 2017/18 as this is the target date the Transport Agency is using. 34% 35% 36% 37%
How the targets were chosen Council has chosen targets that build on the 2013/14 rate, while at the same time recognising the ability-to-pay of passengers. The targets are in line with those in other similar centres in NZ, and will assist NZTA in achieving its medium term national target of 50%. These targets will mean that Council will face the challenge of improving revenue and/or reducing costs by at least 4% per year to ensure it achieves the targets. However Council believes that the recent improvements to the services means that the targets can be achieved. Council also recognises that, given the unlikelihood of NZTA increasing its funding levels, if Council wishes to continue to improve services in Invercargill, it will only be able to do this if passengers contribute more towards the costs of providing services. A higher target was not considered appropriate given that the targets chosen are higher than currently achieved, and are similar to most similar cities in New Zealand. A lower target was also not considered appropriate – Council believes that it is appropriate that passengers pay a reasonable share of the costs. Council considers that eventually passengers should contribute 40% of the costs of the services, and that this is a suitable balance between the contributions of ratepayers/taxpayers and passengers.
Method of calculation The formula used to calculate fare-box recovery is prescribed by NZTA and is set out in detail on its website. In essence the formula is total fare revenue divided by the total cost (including subsidies) of providing the service.
Strategies to meet the targets As indicated above, unless future passenger revenue increase and/or costs reduce, the target recovery levels will not be met in the future. Thus some form of intervention will be needed to achieve the targets. Four intervention strategies are set out below. These strategies will require the Council to work with transport providers and local councils to achieve the targets. The needs of the transport disadvantaged will need to be considered in any intervention.
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Strategy 1: Improve operating efficiencies Improvements to operating efficiencies will reduce costs and therefore improve fare-box recovery. Council in association with transport provider is constantly monitoring the costs and revenues of services, and investigating how to improve efficiency. Services with poor fare- box recovery will be identified, and efforts made to improve the performance of those services. Changes may include better coordination and integration of services, which may for example be achieved through small timetable changes and/or route optimization.
Strategy 2: Increase patronage Increasing patronage will increase revenues, and thus improve fare-box recovery. Council will look to increase patronage by undertaking general and targeted publicity as well as improving service quality through improving infrastructure, maintaining high vehicle quality standards, and optimizing routes and service levels to increase accessibility.
Strategy 3: Reduce poor performing services Reducing poorly performing services will have the effect of reducing costs and thus increasing fare-box recovery.
Poor performing services (i.e. those services with high costs and/or low patronage) can be improved Comment [CB47]: ? by reductions to frequencies and routes, and assessing vehicle size/suitability. Council will also consider alternative ways of providing services, such as on-demand and dial-a-ride options.
Strategy 4: Review of fare products and fare levels Increasing fares will lead to increases in revenue and thus improve fare-box recovery. Small increases in fares are likely to be required occasionally regularly? to cover the increases in costs of providing bus services. Other options may include reviewing the availability and eligibility criteria for concession fares, reviewing the levels of discount available and seeking supplementary sources of funding.
How the policy will be applied The current contract payment system allows fare-box recovery to be calculated on a monthly basis, and thus any changes in fare-box recovery can be quickly identified. If the recovery rate is dropping, Council will then decide which of the intervention strategies will be applied.
Implementation date This policy will apply immediately.
Fare level review An annual fare level review will be undertaken, in conjunction with the contractor, at the conclusion of each financial year. This review will take into consideration the fare-box recovery levels but may also include any other factors considered to be relevant. The review will also address the level of discounts and concessions within the existing fare structure.
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Fare structure review Council will review fare structures at least every six years. The fare structure review will address all aspects of the fare system, including the appropriateness of zones as the base for the system, and the availability of (and discount to be applied to) concession fares. A review of the fare structure was undertaken when the new service was introduced in 2012. The next review of the fare structure is therefore not planned before 2018.
Policy review This policy (including the targets) will be reviewed at least every three years or when the Regional Public Transport Plan is reviewed (which is likely to be at least every three years). It may also be reviewed immediately if NZTA policy or practices affecting fare-box recovery change.
Policy contribution
Policy Comment Government Policy Statement on This policy contributes to the GPS by maintaining the relatively high level of user Land Transport Funding (GPS) contribution towards the funding of public transport. It recognises the need for efficiencies and “value for money” and the restrictions on the availability of national funding Regional Land Transport Plan This policy contributes to the RLTP by at least maintaining the level of local (RLTP) contribution towards the funding of public transport, and thus helping to achieve patronage targets Regional Public Transport Plan This policy contributes towards the RPTP by looking to improve efficiencies and (RPTP) value for money Land Transport Management Act This policy contributes to the LTMA by aiming to improve efficiencies and 2003 (LTMA) effectiveness, and by maintaining the level of local contribution towards the funding of public transport
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Attachment 3: Significance Policy
This policy is required, in accordance with section 119(4) of the Land Transport Management Act 2003, to set out how to determine the significance of proposed variations to this Plan. The level of significance determines the consultation regarding the proposed variation that must be undertaken.
Application This Plan can be varied at any time. However in accordance with section 125(6) of the Land Transport Management Act 2003 the usual consultation will not be required in if the proposed variation is considered under this policy to be not significant. The approach to consultation will reflect the level of significance of any proposed variation. Consideration will be given to the costs and benefits of any consultative process or procedure and the extent to which consultation has already taken place. The implication of not meeting the significance threshold is that the full consultation requirements of the LTMA will not need to be followed. However, Council may undertake targeted consultation on matters affecting specific communities and stakeholders, even if the significance threshold outlined in this policy is not invoked.
General determination of significance The significance of variations to this Plan will be determined by Council on a case by case basis. When determining the significance of a variation, consideration must be given to the extent to which the variation: • Signals a material change to the planned level of investment in the public transport network • Impacts on the purpose of the LTMA • Affects residents (variations with a moderate impact on a large number of residents, or variations with a major impact on a small number of residents will have greater significance than those with a minor impact) • Affects the integrity of this Plan, including its overall affordability • Has already been the subject of consultation with affected parties.
Significant and non-significant matters Matters that will always be considered ‘significant’ are: • Any variation that amends this policy on significance • Changes to existing services, or the introduction of new services, (other changes to or the introduction of trial services), for which no consultation regarding the change or introduction has occurred. Comment [HMC48]: This is inconsistent with statements earlier in Matters that will usually be considered ‘significant’ are: the document • Changes to units that significantly affect the financial viability of the contractor of that unit. Matters that will always be considered ‘not significant’ are: • Minor editorial and typographical amendments to this Plan • Minor changes to fare levels in accordance with current policy and funding levels
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Matters that will usually be considered ‘not significant’ are: • A matter that has already been consulted on, including the addition, removal or amendment of any matter or service • Minor changes to the description of services following a review of that service e.g. changes to the frequency, route or hours of a service which result in the same, or better, level of service • Changes to the description of services or grouping of services as a result of an area wide service review, provided that there is no significant increase in cost • The introduction, alteration or deletion of trial services
• The introduction of a new unit provided the contractors of existing units are not affected. Comment [HMC49]: Doesn’t introducing a new unit, imply the introduction of new services – which Targeted consultation on non-significant variations are significant as stated above? Where Council determines that a proposed variation is not significant, it may still undertake targeted consultation as follows: a. Consultation for minor changes in the delivery of existing public transport services For minor changes in service delivery which are required to improve the efficiency of existing services, such as the addition or deletion of trips and minor route changes, and which have only a local impact, consultation will generally be undertaken at a low level with the operator/s involved, the relevant territorial authority, and passengers who use the services. If consultation has already occurred as part of a service investigation or review, no additional consultation need occur. b. Addition of new services Where a new service is proposed and the new service has been the subject of community consultation, no additional consultation need occur. c. Other non-significant variations Any proposals for changes that affect only a sector of the community or the industry (e.g. a change in Total Mobility provision, or a change to specific vehicle quality standards) may be worked through with those most likely to be affected, as well as other relevant stakeholders.
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101 APPENDIX 2
Southland Regional Public Transport Plan
2015 – 2018
14 October 2014
A407699
102 Southland Regional Public Transport Plan
Contents The Plan in brief ...... 3 Invercargill bus service ...... 3 Total Mobility ...... 3 What we have done in the last few years ...... 3 What we are planning for the future ...... 4 Related Council transport documents ...... 5 Introduction ...... 6 Purpose of the Plan ...... 6 Public transport ...... 6 Funding ...... 7 Part A: Services intended to be provided, and associated policies ...... 8 Services Council intends to provide ...... 8 Invercargill City bus service ...... 8 Total Mobility scheme ...... 9 Southland region ...... 10 Future improvements ...... 10 Public transport outside of Invercargill ...... 10 Units ...... 11 Value for money ...... 12 Working with contractors ...... 12 Fares ...... 13 Policies ...... 13 Part B: Background and Context ...... 17 Legislative requirements ...... 17 Attachment 1: Extracts from Otago/Southland Regional Land Transport Plan ...... 19 Attachment 2: Services to be provided ...... 21 Attachment 3: Fare-box recovery policy ...... 22 Attachment 4: Significance Policy ...... 26
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The Plan in brief Approximately 326,000 public transport trips are made annually on subsidised public transport in Southland. About 270,000 of these are on the Invercargill bus services, and about 56,000 are on the Total Mobility scheme for people with disabilities (mostly in Invercargill and Gore).
Ordinarily a Regional Public Transport Plan (the Plan) would be prepared by the local regional council. However Environment Southland has delegated to Invercargill City Council (Council) the responsibility for preparing this Plan for the Southland region.
This Plan sets out Invercargill City Council’s intentions in respect to the current and any future ratepayer funded public transport and taxi/shuttle services in the Southland region.
Council is preparing this Plan because recent changes to the Land Transport Management Act requires a new Plan, covering the new matters introduced in that legislation, to be in place by 30 June 2015.
This Plan replaces the previous Plan adopted in 2012. Because it is only two years since that Plan was prepared, this new Plan introduces few new changes.
The focus of this Plan is to build on the changes to the Invercargill city bus services which were introduced on 3 December 2012.
The current public transport services subsidised by Council, and the plans for the future, are:
Invercargill bus service Council intends to continue to provide a bus service in the city. The city bus routes and timetables have recently been substantially revised and a new contract introducing the revised bus service commenced on 3 December 2012. The new contract provides services over four routes in Invercargill, running on weekdays between 7am and 7pm, with some services on Saturdays. There are also several school routes catering specifically for school students going to and from school.
Close monitoring of the new service is occurring, and while this Plan proposes no major changes to the service, some minor adjustments are possible. Several new bus shelters have been installed as part of the changes, and more are in the planning stage.
There are also no plans to change the school routes but minor adjustments to these are also likely to ensure the routes continue to meet the demands of the schools and their students.
Total Mobility Council subsidises the Total Mobility scheme in Invercargill and Gore. This scheme, delivered through taxi companies, provides half price fares (up to a maximum subsidy of $25 per trip) for people with disabilities. Taxi-vans capable of carrying people in wheelchairs are also provided under the scheme.
Council intends to continue support for the Total Mobility scheme, and continue to improve the scheme to ensure it meets the needs of its users.
What we have done in the last few years In recent years we have made major changes to the city bus routes and timetables:
o New routes and timetables have been developed. The main driver for these improvements was to reduce the growing subsidy cost of the service to the
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taxpayers and ratepayers of the city, and this has been achieved. The new service still provides substantial city-wide coverage. o A new contract, based on the revised service, has been tendered and awarded, and the new service commenced on 3 December 2012 o Introduction of the BusSmart smartcard for fare payments o Marketing of BusSmart brand on radio and newspapers o Introduction of bike-racks on all city buses o Audible announcements and wi fi service provision on buses on the city routes o Introduction of a constant 45 minute headway on city routes o New glass-panel bus shelters have been installed o Braille labelling on new bus-stop timetables o Extra buses have been provided where necessary to cope with the increase in school passenger numbers o Discussions with schools is on-going to ensure the services fit the demand We have continued to support the Total Mobility scheme for people with disabilities, and make administrative improvements to the scheme as required by NZ Transport Agency. These administrative changes are aimed at making the scheme more efficient and better for its users.
What we are planning for the future
What When
Monitoring of the new city service to ensure it meets the needs of the On-going community. This may result in adjustments to the new timetables and routes in response to levels of passenger demand
Discussions with schools regarding improvements to the routes and times for On-going the school services
Improving the administration of the Total Mobility scheme On-going
Reviewing fare levels and fare structures1 for the bus service (in line with On-going NZTA and Council requirements)
Improving infrastructure, such as the provision of timetable information and On-going shelters at bus-stops
Closer liaison and collaboration with our bus contractor aimed at improving On-going the bus service and increasing patronage
Promotion of the city bus service through social media On-going
Investigating the introduction of a tertiary student fare for city services 2015
Investigating improvements to city buses (such as air-conditioning) 2015-18
Investigating the introduction of real-time information systems for city 2015-18 services
Investigating improvements to the ticketing system, through participation in 2015-18 the national regional ticketing system project, and increasing the usage of the BusSmart card
Improving the central city bus terminal 2018
1 The fare level is the actual fare charged; the fare structure is the basis on which the fare is calculated (such as distance, time etc.)
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Related Council transport documents Other Council documents relevant to public transport in Invercargill include: • The Council Ten Year Plan and the Annual Plan • The Council Procurement Strategy2 • The Environment Southland Regional Land Transport Plan3
The relevant sections of the draft Otago/Southland Regional Land Transport Plan are set out in Attachment 1.
This Plan is consistent with those policies.
2 This document is required by NZTA and sets out the Council approach to be taken to procuring public transport services. A Procurement Strategy will be prepared prior to the next tender round 3 The Land Transport Management Amendment Act 2013 provides for regional land transport strategies and regional land transport programmes to be replaced in 2015 by a single regional land transport plan. An Otago/Southland regional land transport plan is currently being prepared by Environment Southland and Otago Regional Council and contains polices and the region-wide transport funding plan for the next six years
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Introduction Invercargill City Council (Council) is required by the Land Transport Management Act 2003 (LTMA) to prepare a Regional Public Transport Plan (the Plan). The LTMA sets out the requirements regarding the Plan’s content and the consultation process required in preparing the Plan.
This Plan updates the 2012 Plan to ensure it meets the requirements of the recent changes to the Land Transport Management Act 2003, which governs public transport. The changes to the Act included the introduction of a new operating model for public transport in New Zealand, with regional public transport plans being the cornerstone of the new operating model.
New matters that must now be addressed by the Plan include the following: • How Council will work with bus operators to ensure services meet the needs of the passengers • How the bus services Council intends to provide will be arranged into “units”4 • How bus fares will be reviewed and set.
Purpose of the Plan The LTMA states that the purpose of a Plan is to provide: • A means of encouraging Council and public transport operators to work together in developing public transport services and infrastructure; and • An instrument in engaging with the public in the district on the design and operation of the public transport network; and • A statement of: o The public transport services that are integral to the public transport network; and o The policies and procedures that apply to those services; and o The information and infrastructure that support those services. This Plan sets out Council’s intentions and policies regarding public transport in Southland in the next three years. The Plan takes into account all relevant national and local policies, and the public transport funding from NZTA likely to be available to Council.
This Plan is in two parts:
• Part A sets out the services Council intends to provide, and the policies which apply to these services • Part B provides background and context information, and information legally required.
Public transport The “public transport” referred to in this Plan is the subsidised bus service within Invercargill and any other council subsidised public transport service in the Southland region, and the taxi service as it relates to the Total Mobility scheme.
It does not include long-distance bus services, Ministry of Education funded bus services, privately funded bus services, or train services.
4 See later in this Plan for a discussion on units
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Funding Public transport services in Invercargill, as in the rest of New Zealand, are subsidised. The subsidy is provided in approximately equal proportions by Council and the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA)5.
Council has decided that it should continue to provide a subsidised service in Invercargill because of the benefits to the city and the community of having an available and affordable public transport system. In Invercargill, these benefits are largely social – the buses enable those without other forms of transport to get to where they need to go, in particular, to places of work, education, healthcare, welfare and food shopping.
Currently in Invercargill passenger fares cover approximately 33% of the costs of providing the service; that means the other 67% is provided by subsidies - Council pays 33.5%, and NZTA 33.5%.
The NZTA funding comes with a number of rules and requirements. One of the current requirements is that passengers should contribute more than they currently do towards the costs of providing public transport services. The NZTA guideline is that passengers should contribute at least 50% of the costs of providing services.6 In Invercargill, passengers currently contribute about 33% and thus it is below the NZTA target. However Council is working towards increasing the passenger contribution, and the changes introduced in December 2012 went a substantial way towards that.
NZTA funding is not unlimited, and any extra funding (such as may be required to introduce additional services in Invercargill, or a new service somewhere else in the region) will only be provided if it is supported by a suitable business case prepared in accordance with NZTA guidelines.
Funding guidelines indicate that this extra funding will only be provided where the proposed new service can show: • It will improve access to social and economic opportunities, particularly for those with limited access to a private vehicle; • It will be effective at achieving the objectives of the service; and • The benefits of providing the service outweigh the costs.
Requests for extra funding will then be assessed against the demands for improvements from other regions in NZ. Priority is given where there is congestion and demands on the public transport network are the highest, and reliability of journey times the worst.
Because only services specified in a Plan are able to be subsidised, proposals for new services will need to be incorporated into this Plan (and therefore be subject to public consultation guidelines) as well as meeting NZTA business case requirements.
The 2013 changes to the Land Transport Management Act changed the funding and administration of public transport in NZ by introducing a new operating model known as PTOM7. PTOM is designed to encourage collaboration and partnering between the funders of public transport and the provider of the bus service to grow patronage with less reliance on subsidies.
5 This funding arrangement may change from the 2015/16 year onwards 6 NZTA does recognise that smaller towns which have predominantly social services may have a lower passenger contribution than 50% 7 Public Transport Operating Model – a new planning and contracting framework for public transport provision
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Part A: Services intended to be provided, and associated policies
Services Council intends to provide
Invercargill City bus service Council provides the bus services within Invercargill city. It does this by means of a subsidised contract with a local bus operator8.
Council undertook a major review of the city bus service in 2012 and as a result of that review made substantial changes to routes, timetables and fares. The new service was tendered in 2012 and the new contracted service began in December 2012. The contract runs until December 2017, and can be extended to 29 June 2022 should certain performance criteria be met.
The current city service operates on four city routes which provide coverage of the entire city. The service starts each weekday at 6.45am, with the last service leaving the central city at 6pm. Services run every 45 minutes on each route. On Saturdays, six services operate every 45 minutes between the hours of 10.30am and 3.40pm. There is no Sunday or public holiday service. An additional service (on two separate routes) is provided on weekdays to and from Southland Disability Enterprises.
In addition, six school routes operate within the city on school days.
The buses cover over 306,000 kilometres annually on these routes.
Council believes that these current routes, timetables and fare structure are suitable for Invercargill given the current demand levels and the costs of providing the service.
The current routes and timetables are shown in Attachment 2.
Council believes that the service provided should be a modern one catering for the reasonable needs of all passengers, and thus on the four city routes it intends to continue to provide a fully wheelchair accessible service with features including audio announcements, wi-fi and bike racks. In addition, Council will ensure information about the service is readily available through a variety of formats, and will provide shelter and timetable information at popular bus-stops.
Between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2014 approximately 270,000 passenger trips were made on the city bus service. Of this number, 60,000 passenger trips were made on the school services. The annual total gross cost, (i.e. before passenger revenue is taken into accounted) including administration costs, of the current service for those 12 months was $1,023,000.
Passenger revenue was $333,000, which means that passenger fares covered 33% of the total costs of providing the service. The remaining 67% ($690,000) was met by subsidy.
The subsidy is shared equally between NZTA and Council, meaning the ratepayers of Invercargill contribute about $345,000 annually towards the bus service. That equates to a ratepayer subsidy of $1.28 per passenger-trip.
8 The current bus operator is Go Bus Ltd
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Prior to the new service commencing in December 2012, the city bus service cost about $1.5m annually to provide, and had a subsidy cost of about $1.3m (Council share of $650,000). Passenger numbers were about 370,000. That equated to a ratepayer subsidy of $1.76 per trip.
A key finding from Councils 2014 Residents Survey for Passenger Transport was that users of the buses were largely positive about the new service, especially in terms of value for money.
The new service costs substantially less to provide than the previous service, and passengers contribute substantially more towards its costs. Thus the cost to the ratepayers of Invercargill is now substantially less.
Passenger numbers are lower than the previous service, but have been climbing steadily since the new service was introduced.
The new services are being closely monitored by Council, in conjunction with the contractor, to ensure that the services continue to meet the needs of the community. Council recognises that, given the substantial nature of the 2012 changes, some subsequent minor adjustments to the routes and/or timetables may be needed to ensure the needs of the passengers are met and costs minimised. These minor adjustments will be made as necessary and, in accordance with the Significance Policy (see later in this Plan), may be made without any formal or publicly notified amendment to this Plan.
Total Mobility scheme Council provides administration support and funding for the Total Mobility Scheme. This scheme provides transport assistance to people with disabilities though the provision of half-priced taxi fares (up to maximum subsidy per trip of $25 per one-way trip). Total Mobility operates in Invercargill and Gore.
Approximately 56,000 trips are made annually in Southland on the Total Mobility scheme. 50,000 of these are made by scheme members who reside in Invercargill, 5,500 by residents of Gore and 200 by residents of Southland District (when they visit Invercargill).
The annual subsidy cost of this service is approximately $320,000 in Invercargill, $25,000 in Gore, and $1,200 in Southland District. These costs, as with the bus costs, are met by local ratepayers and NZTA. The average subsidy per trip is just above $6 ($6.16).
Currently about 1,300 people in Invercargill, 200 in Gore and 20 in Southland District, are registered for the Total Mobility scheme.
The scheme also provides taxi-vans capable of carrying people in wheel-chairs, and provides for an extra $10 subsidy per trip for the use of these taxi-vans in recognition of the costs and time involved in carrying passengers using a wheelchair. Council provides assistance with the costs of installing the necessary equipment into the vans to enable them to carry wheelchairs and mobility scooters. The maximum subsidy available for these van conversions is $22,000 per van.
Council administers the scheme, including the distribution of vouchers for use on the taxis, and payments to the taxi companies. A Total Mobility Committee, which comprises representatives of the local authorities in whose areas the scheme operates, the taxi companies and disability organisations, has been established to manage the scheme.
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Because the scheme runs nationally, there are certain rules about how the scheme is run; Council (and the Total Mobility Committee) will continue to comply with these rules and thus ensure Southland members of the scheme can use the scheme elsewhere in NZ.
Southland region At this stage no subsidised services (other than some Total Mobility services) operate in Southland other than in Invercargill. Council has no plans to introduce any new services, but will consider any requests from the wider Southland community for such services (subject to the policies set out below). The costs for such services will need to be borne by the local authority in whose territory the service operates and NZTA.
Future improvements Because funding for any major service improvements to the passenger transport network is unlikely to be available from NZTA in future, and because of the recent changes to the Invercargill bus services, no major plans for changes or new services are proposed in this Plan.
However low or no-cost improvements may be able to be made to existing services.
Future improvements for the subsidised city services that will be investigated include:
• Improved infrastructure, such as shelters and providing service information at bus-stops • Introducing an on-line real-time information system • Improving the central city bus terminal • A new bus service where there is a demonstrable demand for the service and local and NZTA funding is available • Introduction of a new tertiary student fare for the Invercargill service • Introduction of vehicle improvements, such as air-conditioning • Increasing the use of the BusSmart Card • Participation in the national ticketing project which is aimed at assisting councils in monitoring usage of services • Improvements to the administration of the Total Mobility scheme, such as the introduction of an electronic identification usage card • Use of non-taxi companies and vehicles as providers of the Total Mobility scheme • Use of social media to promote services.
NZTA requires that any proposals for new services will have to be justified using the new NZTA Business Case Approach9 in order to obtain NZTA funding. The business case is required to assess the costs and benefits of the proposed new service, and how the service fits within current NZTA funding criteria. Given the current funding priorities, it is likely to be difficult to obtain NZTA funding for any new subsidised service in Southland. It is possible however for a new service to be subsidised entirely from local subsidies.
Public transport outside of Invercargill While the focus of this Plan is on Invercargill, this Plan does cover the rest of the Southland region. There have often been suggestions for new services, perhaps linking some of the regions towns or
9 A suggested business case approach has been developed by NZTA, and is contained in the NZTA online Planning and Investment Knowledge Base
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rural communities with the health or education facilities in Invercargill. A Gore to Invercargill service has often been mooted.
If a new service is proposed, Council, as the delegated authority in the region, will apply for funding from NZTA provided:
• There is demonstrable demand for the proposed service, identified by the relevant local territorial authority; • The local territorial authority has agreed to provide the local share of funding for the service; and • The local territorial authority will prepare the business case, based on NZTA guidelines, to support the funding application.
Any new service would be provided initially on a trial basis, usually for a specified period of time. The trial period should be of sufficient length to allow the service to become known and to develop.
Council will assist the other local authorities in the region in assessing demand levels and any other matters relating to potential new services.
Because NZTA funding is only available for services specified in a regional public transport plan, should a new service meet the three qualifications above, this Plan will be amended to include the new service. The amendment will be deemed to “not be significant” in accordance with the significance policy (see later in this Plan) and thus the new service can be introduced without a full review of the Plan.
It should be noted that NZTA has limited funds, and its current funding priorities for additional funding are largely focussed on the larger cities, and in particular Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. As indicated above, any requests for additional NZTA funding must be supported by a business case prepared under NZTA guidelines, and the current reality is that it is unlikely that new services in Southland will qualify for NZTA funding.
Units The LTMA requires the public transport network in the area to be divided into “units”. Each unit must then be the subject of a separate contract. The Plan is required to set out the units that the Council intends be provided, and the date that the units are expected to start operating.
Because of the nature and size of the Invercargill bus service, Invercargill has traditionally had a single bus contract for the entire service. This is a logical arrangement and has worked well, and enables close cooperation between the Council and the bus operator.
This single unit/single contract system will continue for the Invercargill bus service. The unit will be procured (once the current contract expires) by tender based on the approach outlined in the Council Procurement Strategy. The Procurement Strategy will be reviewed before the next tender round is due.
The current contract for the city bus service runs until 2017, but contains provision for an extension until June 2022. Minor changes to the contract are permitted without the need for re-tendering, and thus the next tender is not expected until 2021 (assuming the current contract runs the full term), and the new contract to commence on 1 July 2022.
The Council intends to provide financial assistance to this unit/contract.
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Any new service will be deemed to be a separate unit in terms of the LTMA.
There are no exempt services within the meaning of the LTMA in Invercargill that are being replaced by a unit. Value for money Central to the purpose and intent of the LTMA is the concept of “value for money”, and this concept extends to the provision of bus services. Value for money can be measured many ways. One is the amount of subsidy provided to support a service, and in particular the contribution made by the passengers towards the costs of providing the service. This passenger contribution is known as the fare-box recovery level, and is measured as the ratio of passenger fares to the costs of providing the service.
NZTA has a goal of an aggregated national fare-box recovery rate of no less than 50% by 30 June 2018. The current average NZ rate is about 45%.
Prior to the new bus service commencing in 2012, the Invercargill bus service was a relatively highly subsidised service, and had a relatively low fare-box recovery level (14%). This was one of the lowest fare-box recovery levels in NZ. Council was under some pressure from NZTA to lift the fare- box recovery level.
The new Invercargill bus service currently has an annual fare-box recovery rate of 33% (for the year ended 30 June 2014), and this rate is gradually climbing as passenger numbers rise (the fare-box recovery rate for the month of May 2014 was over 40%).
Council has set a long-term fare-box recovery rate target of 40%, which it considers realistic for a provincial town with a bus service catering primarily for off-peak services.
Value-for-money can also be measured by the total subsidy rate (ratepayer plus NZTA) per passenger trip. In Invercargill this rate is about $2.56 per trip, which compares favourably with other similar NZ cities.
Council considers it now gets good value for money from its public transport network. For relatively small financial input, Council provides a bus service which meets the basic needs of those who rely on public transport to access basic community services and activities. The Invercargill services are now better or comparable with other similar cities in NZ on the value for money criteria used to compare services, such as subsidy per passenger and fare-box recovery.
Working with contractors One of the objects of the LTMA is to encourage close partnerships between councils and their contracted bus operators. Invercargill City Council already has a very close working relationship with its contractor. This is aided by the small size of the Invercargill district and there being only one bus contract. Council recognises that the contractor has a unique and close perspective on how the service is performing and on what improvements might be made.
Council intends that this close working relationship will continue, and it will continue to hold regular meetings with the contractor to discuss ways of improving the services. A business plan for the contract will be prepared by Council, in conjunction with the contractor, which will outline what actions and improvements are proposed for the contract. This business plan will be reviewed annually. The business plan approach is outlined in NZTA’s Procurement Manual.
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Council recognises that the best way to improve passenger numbers is to have a high quality service, both in terms of reliability and driver helpfulness. All contracts will therefore include requirements for the contractor to report regularly on certain performance indicators. These criteria will be based on those developed by NZTA10 and are likely to include service reliability and punctuality, patronage, customer satisfaction, reporting timeliness, and vehicle appearance. For the current contract these indicators will be used to determine if the contract qualifies for an automatic extension of the contract period.
NZTA requires that future contracts include a financial incentive mechanism. The financial incentive will provide for an annual payment to the contractor should certain targets be met. These targets are likely to be based on patronage levels, and involve a payment to the contractor for each passenger carried over and above a target figure. The financial incentive mechanism is still to be developed, and will be contained in the Invercargill Procurement Strategy which is under development.
Fares The LTMA requires the Plan to set out policies on passenger fares, and how fares will be set and reviewed. Council intends that the current fares for the Invercargill bus service will be maintained initially, but as is required by NZTA, fare levels will be reviewed annually and the fare structure will be reviewed every six years. The reviews will include Total Mobility fares, and any rules that apply to Total Mobility fares.
The review of fare levels will take into account matters such as inflation, fare-box recovery, Council and NZTA funding levels and policies, and user’s ability to pay. Council’s general policy is that fares should be increased gradually at regular intervals to reflect the changing costs of providing the service.
The six-yearly review of fare structures will consider issues such as how the fare should be calculated (possibilities include distance related fares, a flat fare regardless of distance travelled, time based fares etc.). Fares in Invercargill are currently based on a flat fare regardless of distance travelled and are time based (with peak and off-peak fare levels). See below for more information on fares.
Policies The basic objective of the Council-provided public transport network is to provide services which meet the basic needs of the community, particularly those without access to private transport.
Specific Council policies relating to these services are as follow:
• Services provided o Provide and fund bus services aimed primarily at those without other transport options o Regularly assess the needs of the community with regard to its public transport needs o Work with its bus contractors to improve their services and increase patronage levels o Provide customer facilities such as bike racks, audio announcements etc.
10 This development process is on-going, but NZTA has set out its minimum requirements in section 11 Measurement and Monitoring in its Procurement Manual.
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• New services o Will be provided where there is demonstrable demand, where the relevant local territorial authority has agreed to fund the project, and NZTA funding is available o Council will assist the other local authorities to investigate potential new services.
• Contractors o Prepare a business plan in conjunction with each contractor setting out the actions, aimed at improving the service, that will be taken during the next year of the contract o Review the business plan annually o Regularly meet with the contractors to discuss progress with achieving the actions set out in the business plan, and progress generally with the services, and ways to increase passenger numbers o Generally involve the contractor in decisions relating to the service, while at the same time recognising that it is Council that is the primary decision maker regarding the service.
• Vehicles and drivers o Require modern low floor buses on the city services o Comply with the vehicle standards as set out in NZTA’s Requirements for Urban Buses o Require bike racks on the buses used on the four city routes o Require next stops announcements on buses used on the four city routes o Require electronic ticket systems on all buses o Require GPS tracking on buses used on the four city routes to assist with monitoring o Require full training for new drivers.
• Fare system o An electronic ticketing system on all buses, recording all trips and issuing tickets as appropriate, will be required on all buses o For the Invercargill services: . Child fares will be available • Children are defined as those aged 5-15 inclusive, or still at school and can prove that with school ID • The child fare will be approximately 65% of the adult fare • Children under 5’s travel free . Senior Citizen fares will be available to those over 60 years of age . The SuperGold Card scheme providing free off-peak travel is available to those with a SuperGold Card (generally those over 65 years of age) . Off-peak fares and the SuperGold Card scheme will be available between 9am and 3.00pm weekdays, and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays11 should services operate on those days
11 These are the SuperGold scheme hours
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. BusSmart Card users will receive a minimum of a 10% discount on all fares . Peak-time bus fares in Invercargill are currently $2.60 per trip for adults, and $1.70 for children and senior citizens . Off-peak fares in Invercargill are $1.20 for all passengers o Fare levels will be reviewed annually. The last Invercargill fare review was in February 2014 when fares were increased. The next review is due in 2015. . The contractor will be involved in these discussions . The introduction of Tertiary Student Fares will be assessed . In setting fares, the primary considerations will be the level of inflation as it relates to the costs of providing the service, affordability, NZTA and Council funding levels and policies, and the Council Fare-box Recovery Policy12 o Fare structures will be reviewed every six years. The last review was in 2012, and thus next review is due before 2018.
• Monitoring o Monitor services based on NZTA requirements o Collect monthly patronage data o Contracts will provide for reliability data to be collected by the contractor and made available to Council o Contracts will require vehicles on the city bus service to have a GPS monitoring system to assist in measuring service reliability o In conjunction with the contractor, regularly review the new city routes and timetables to ensure they continue to meet the needs of the community o Undertake an annual survey of passengers as required by NZTA.
• Infrastructure o Look to improve the central city bus stop through the provision of shelter, seats and timetable information o Look to improve bus-stop facilities including providing shelters and easy access to the stops for those in wheelchairs o Promote the services . Though information being available at popular bus stops and on the Council website . Through the production of a freely available printed timetable . Through local newspapers (including community newsletters) and radio.
• Contract format o The contracting of the bus contracts will follow the process set out in the Council Procurement Strategy and NZTA Procurement Manual o Subject to the Procurement Strategy and Procurement Manual, contract length will generally be nine years o Contracts will require operators to tender on the annual gross price of providing the service and Council will retain passenger revenue
12 This policy is re-produced in Attachment 2
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o There will be one contract per unit, and thus currently there will be one contract for the Invercargill service o Contracts will contain a financial incentive mechanism aimed at encouraging the contractor to increase patronage o Tenders will be evaluated on price and quality. Quality features will include relevant experience, track record, relevant management and technical skills, methodology and vehicle quality.
• Total Mobility o Continue to administer and support the Total Mobility scheme o Manage the day-to-day operation of the scheme through the Total Mobility Committee which is comprised of councils, taxi companies and disability organisations. The Committee will be responsible for setting local rules within the guidelines set by NZTA o Continue to improve the administration of the scheme, and to meet any NZTA requirements o All service providers are required to have contracts with Council which are based on the NZTA model contract, and set out service standards and conditions o Assist in the provision of wheelchair hoist vehicles where demand warrants it and funding permits o Admittance to become a service provider is at the discretion of ICC. Each application will be considered on its merits, but generally the requirements are that drivers be appropriately licensed and trained, the service availability hours are at least 7am to 7pm, and the fare structure is clear, similar to other providers and has been approved by ICC. The provision of a wheelchair service is desirable but not mandatory o Review fares and the rules applying to the fares as part of the fare level and fare structure reviews.
• SuperGold Card o Bus contractors will be required to participate in the SuperGold Card scheme as it relates to public transport o Council will continue to administer the SuperGold Card scheme subsidies.
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Part B: Background and Context
Legislative requirements Section 124 of the LTMA requires that a Regional Public Transport Plan must: • Contribute to the purposes of the LTMA13 • Have been prepared in accordance with NZTA guidelines • Be consistent with any regional land transport plan14 • Apply the principles specified in the Act, namely: a) Councils and operators should work in partnership to deliver services and infrastructure necessary to meet the needs of passengers b) The provision of services should be coordinated with the aim of achieving the levels of integration, reliability, frequency, and coverage necessary to encourage passenger growth c) Competitors should have access to public transport markets to increase confidence that services are priced efficiently d) Incentives should exist to reduce reliance on public subsidies to cover the cost of providing public transport services e) The planning and procurement of public transport services should be transparent • Take into account: o Any national energy efficiency and conservation strategy o Any relevant district plan o The public transport funding likely to be available o The need to obtain the best value for money, having regard to the desirability of encouraging a competitive and efficient market for public transport services o The views of public transport operators Council has complied with all the above requirements when preparing this Plan.
Regional Land Transport Plan Section 156(2) of the LTMA requires that a Plan must take the public transport components of the relevant regional land transport strategy into account and must not be inconsistent with the relevant regional land transport programme15.
This Plan complies with those requirements.
Assistance of the transport disadvantaged The Plan is required to describe how it will assist the transport disadvantaged16. This Plan assists the transport disadvantaged though supporting routes and timetables designed to take passengers from where they live to places they want to go at a reasonable fare.
13 The purpose of the LTMA is to contribute to an effective, efficient, and safe land transport system in the public interest 14 There is no current Regional Land Transport Plan; the first plan will be prepared in 2014 15 The current Invercargill Regional Land Transport Strategy and Regional Land Transport Programme continue in existence until 30 June 2015 at which time they will be replaced by the Regional Land Transport Plan, which will be developed in 2014 16 The Land Transport Management Act describes transport disadvantaged as those people whom the council has reasonable grounds to believe are the least able to travel to basic community activities and services (for example, work, education, health care, welfare, and shopping)
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Fare-box Recovery Policy NZTA requires that all councils include in their regional public transport plans a Fare-box Recovery Policy. Fare-box recovery is the percentage of the costs of providing the service that are covered by passenger fares. NZTA has been concerned that fare-box recovery is declining nationally, and wants to reverse that trend. NZTA has set out what a fare-box policy must contain, which includes a target ratio of costs that are to be covered by passenger fares, and how the target is to be achieved.
Council policy is that in the long-term passenger fares should cover at least 40% of the costs of providing the bus service, and its fare-box policy is based on that. It had set an intermediate target of 30% recovery by 2014 and has exceeded that target. Currently passenger fares cover about 33% of the costs of providing the city services and this rate is gradually increasing. The new intermediate targets are a 1% point increase in fare-box recovery each year.
The full Council fare-box recovery policy is shown at Attachment 3.
Significance Policy All regional public transport plans are required by the LTMA to include a “significance policy”. This policy determines if any proposed change to a Plan is significant (in which case it must follow certain consultation requirements as set out in the Act) or not (in which case an abbreviated process can be used).
The Council significance policy in relation to this Plan is set out in Attachment 4. Essentially the policy states that small changes, and changes that have already been the subject of consultation, can be treated as “not significant” and thus need not be the subject of extensive consultation.
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Attachment 1: Extracts from Otago/Southland Regional Land Transport Plan
Objective 4.4 Other methods In rural areas away 1. Recognise the merits of initiatives such as car clubs, car sharing, ride from main routes, sharing, community transport services. Advocate for the minimisation communities are self- of regulatory and administrative barriers for these initiatives, when reliant for their they help communities to be self-reliant. transport.
Objective 4.5 Primary policies Public passenger 1. Public passenger services that should be provided in Otago and transport is provided Southland (not necessarily with public subsidy) are: in urban areas and on (a) three separate integrated urban public transport networks, one in main routes Dunedin, one in Wakatipu Basin, one in Invercargill delivered by: i. scheduled bus services ii. taxi and shuttle services, including taxi vans or shuttles with wheelchair hoists. (b) between centres within Otago Southland and beyond, provided by bus. (c) school bus services (separate from public buses in the integrated networks, used by school children) provided by Ministry of Education as an Excluded service, or by a bus operator and registered as an Exempt service (d) taxis, shuttles and private hire services in those areas where providers choose to operate (e) bus and rail services for excursions and special events (f) community-based schemes and informal arrangements, where people choose to operate them (g) emergency and medical-related transport services.
2. The regional council contracts public transport services on Otago Southland key corridors, where there is no adequate commercial service provided, and there is sufficient support from both the community and bus users.
Funding and capability Advocate for improved Total Mobility funding in areas where essential services are limited or far away (for example Wakatipu).
Objective 4.7 Primary policies Public transport in 1. Provide public transport within Invercargill City, as defined in the Invercargill provides a Southland Regional Public Transport Plan. public service, meeting the basic needs of the 2. Plan and manage public transport in Invercargill as an integrated community. public transport system or network in order to meet the basic needs of the community, with services aimed primarily at those without other transport options.
3. Grow patronage of public passenger-transport services in Invercargill.
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Provide new services only where there is demonstrable demand from the community and bus users, where the relevant local territorial authority has agreed to fund the project, and NZTA funding is available
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Attachment 2: Services to be provided
Maps and timetables to be included
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Attachment 3: Fare-box recovery policy
In brief In accordance with New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) requirements, Council has adopted a fare- box recovery policy. Fare-box recovery measures the percentage of the gross costs of providing bus services that is covered by passenger fares (the balance of the costs is met in equal proportions by local ratepayers and NZTA). The national17 average fare-box recovery rate is currently about 45%. NZTA has an average target rate of at least 50%, which it aims to achieve in the medium term. The fare-box recovery ratio for Invercargill bus services is currently about 33%. While the long term goal of Council is a fare-box recovery of 40% Council recognises that it may take some years to reach this goal. Therefore Council has set a target of achieving a fare-box recovery rate of 34% in 2014/15, and thereafter increasing by one percentage points per year until the 40% target has been achieved. Given that the costs of providing services are increasing by about 3% a year, Council will have to increase passenger revenues and/or reduce costs by at least 4% per year to meet the targets.
Background
NZTA requirements The NZTA requires that all regional councils/unitary authorities prepare a “fare-box recovery policy”, and include that policy in the Regional Public Transport Plan. NZTA require the fare-box recovery policy to: • Set a target fare-box recovery rate for the public transport system as a whole • Set out how the target was chosen • Set out a strategy as to how the target will be achieved • Set out how the policy complies with various relevant national and regional planning documents, and with legislation • Provide for an annual review of fare levels, and a review of fare structures at least every six years. NZTA prescribe the formula for establishing the fare-box recovery rate.
Services included The public transport services to be included in the calculation of the fare recovery are any contracted bus services operating in the region. Long-distance (e.g. inter-city services) services, privately funded school services, Ministry of Education funded school services, tourist and charter services are not included.
The fare-box recovery target In accordance with the NZTA policy, Council has measured fare-box recovery of the service as a whole rather than measuring individual routes or trips. Individual services, routes or trips, particularly those that might be regarded as “social” services, are not necessarily expected to achieve the target set out in this policy.
17 An aggregated figure for all NZ
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The table below shows the actual fare-box recovery level for the whole region for the last financial year, and the target rate set for the three years to 2016/17. All figures have been calculated using the NZTA fare-box recovery formula.
Actual fare-box Target Target Target recovery (2014/15) (2015/16) (2016/17) (2013/14)
33% 34% 35% 36%
How the targets were chosen Council has chosen targets that build on the 2013/14 rate, while at the same time recognising the ability-to-pay of passengers. The targets are in line with those in other similar centres in NZ, and will assist NZTA in achieving its medium term average national target of 50%. These targets will mean that Council will face the challenge of improving revenue and/or reducing costs by at least 4% per year to ensure it achieves the targets. However Council believes that the recent improvements to the services means that the targets can be achieved. Council also recognises that, given the unlikelihood of NZTA increasing its funding levels, if Council wishes to continue to improve services in Invercargill, it may only be able to do this if passengers contribute more towards the costs of providing services. A higher target was not considered appropriate given that the targets chosen are higher than currently achieved, and are similar to most similar cities in New Zealand. A lower target was also not considered appropriate – Council believes that it is appropriate that passengers pay a reasonable share of the costs. Council considers that eventually passengers should contribute 40% of the costs of the services, and that this is a suitable balance between the contributions of ratepayers/taxpayers and passengers.
Method of calculation The formula used to calculate fare-box recovery is prescribed by NZTA and is set out in detail on its website. In essence the formula is total fare revenue divided by the total cost (including subsidies) of providing the service.
Strategies to meet the targets As indicated above, unless future passenger revenue increase and/or costs reduce, the target recovery levels will not be met in the future. Thus some form of intervention will be needed to achieve the targets. Four intervention strategies are set out below. These strategies will require the Council to work with transport providers and local councils to achieve the targets. The needs of the transport disadvantaged will need to be considered in any intervention.
Strategy 1: Increase patronage Increasing patronage will increase revenues, and thus improve fare-box recovery. Council will look to increase patronage by undertaking general and targeted publicity as well as improving service quality through improving infrastructure, improving high vehicle quality standards, and optimizing routes and service levels to increase accessibility.
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Strategy 2: Improve operating efficiencies Improvements to operating efficiencies will reduce costs and therefore improve fare-box recovery. Council in association with transport provider is constantly monitoring the costs and revenues of services, and investigating how to improve efficiency. Services with poor fare-box recovery will be identified, and efforts made to improve the performance of those services. Changes may include better coordination and integration of services, which may for example be achieved through small timetable changes and/or route optimization.
Strategy 3: Reduce poor performing services Reducing poorly performing services will have the effect of reducing costs and thus increasing fare- box recovery. Poor performing services (i.e. those services with high costs and/or low patronage) can be improved by reductions to frequencies and routes, and assessing vehicle size/suitability. Council will also consider alternative ways of providing services, such as on-demand and dial-a-ride options.
Strategy 4: Review of fare products and fare levels Increasing fares will lead to increases in revenue and thus improve fare-box recovery. However when considering possible fare increases the impact on patronage needs to be considered. Small increases in fares are likely to be required regularly to cover the increases in costs of providing bus services. Other options may include reviewing the availability and eligibility criteria for concession fares, reviewing the levels of discount available and seeking supplementary sources of funding.
How the policy will be applied The current contract payment system allows fare-box recovery to be calculated on a monthly basis, and thus any changes in fare-box recovery can be quickly identified. If the recovery rate is dropping, Council will then decide which of the intervention strategies will be applied.
Implementation date This policy will apply immediately.
Fare level review An annual fare level review will be undertaken, in conjunction with the contractor, at the conclusion of each financial year. This review will take into consideration the fare-box recovery levels but may also include any other factors considered to be relevant. The review will also address the level of discounts and concessions within the existing fare structure.
Fare structure review Council will review fare structures at least every six years. The fare structure review will address all aspects of the fare system, including the appropriateness of zones as the base for the system, and the availability of (and discount to be applied to) concession fares. A review of the fare structure was undertaken when the new service was introduced in 2012. The next review of the fare structure is therefore not planned before 2018.
Policy review This policy (including the targets) will be reviewed at least every three years or when the Regional Public Transport Plan is reviewed (which is likely to be at least every three years). It may also be reviewed immediately if NZTA policy or practices affecting fare-box recovery change.
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Policy contribution
Policy Comment Government Policy Statement on This policy contributes to the GPS by maintaining the relatively high level of user Land Transport Funding (GPS) contribution towards the funding of public transport. It recognises the need for efficiencies and “value for money” and the restrictions on the availability of national funding Regional Land Transport Plan This policy contributes to the RLTP by at least maintaining the level of local (RLTP) contribution towards the funding of public transport, and thus helping to achieve patronage targets Regional Public Transport Plan This policy contributes towards the RPTP by looking to improve efficiencies and (RPTP) value for money Land Transport Management Act This policy contributes to the LTMA by aiming to improve efficiencies and 2003 (LTMA) effectiveness, and by maintaining the level of local contribution towards the funding of public transport
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Attachment 4: Significance Policy
This policy is required, in accordance with section 120(4) of the Land Transport Management Act 2003, to set out how to determine the significance of proposed variations to this Plan. The level of significance determines the consultation regarding the proposed variation that must be undertaken.
Application This Plan can be varied at any time. However in accordance with section 126(4) of the Land Transport Management Act 2003, the usual consultation will not be required if the proposed variation is considered not significant under this policy. The approach to consultation will reflect the level of significance of any proposed variation. Consideration will be given to the costs and benefits of any consultative process or procedure and the extent to which consultation has already taken place. The implication of not meeting the significance threshold is that the full consultation requirements of the LTMA will not need to be followed. However, Council may undertake targeted consultation on matters affecting specific communities and stakeholders, even if the significance threshold outlined in this policy is not invoked.
General determination of significance The significance of variations to this Plan will be determined by Council on a case by case basis. When determining the significance of a variation, consideration must be given to the extent to which the variation: • Signals a material change to the planned level of investment in the public transport network • Impacts on the purpose of the LTMA • Affects residents (variations with a moderate impact on a large number of residents, or variations with a major impact on a small number of residents will have greater significance than those with a minor impact) • Affects the integrity of this Plan, including its overall affordability • Has already been the subject of consultation with affected parties.
Significant and non-significant matters Matters that will always be considered ‘significant’ are: • Any variation that amends this policy on significance • Major changes to existing services, or the introduction of new services, (other than changes to or the introduction of trial services), for which no consultation regarding the change or introduction has occurred. Matters that will usually be considered ‘significant’ are: • Changes to units that significantly affect the financial viability of the contractor of that unit. Matters that will always be considered ‘not significant’ are: • Minor editorial and typographical amendments to this Plan • Minor changes to fare levels in accordance with current policy and funding levels
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Matters that will usually be considered ‘not significant’ are: • A matter that has already been consulted on, including the addition, removal or amendment of any matter or service • Minor changes to the description of services following a review of that service e.g. changes to the frequency, route or hours of a service which result in the same, or better, level of service • Changes to the description of services or grouping of services as a result of an area wide service review, provided that there is no significant increase in cost • Minor changes of routes and/or timetables to existing services • The introduction, alteration or deletion of trial services • The introduction of a new unit provided the contractors of existing units are not affected.
Targeted consultation on non-significant variations Where Council determines that a proposed variation is not significant, it may still undertake targeted consultation as follows: a. Consultation for minor changes in the delivery of existing public transport services For minor changes in service delivery which are required to improve the efficiency of existing services, such as the addition or deletion of trips and minor route changes, and which have only a local impact, consultation will generally be undertaken at a low level with the operator/s involved, the relevant territorial authority, and passengers who use the services. If consultation has already occurred as part of a service investigation or review, no additional consultation need occur. b. Addition of new services Where a new service is proposed and the new service has been the subject of community consultation, no additional consultation need occur. c. Other non-significant variations Any proposals for changes that affect only a sector of the community or the industry (e.g. a change in Total Mobility provision, or a change to specific vehicle quality standards) may be worked through with those most likely to be affected, as well as other relevant stakeholders.
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128 APPENDIX 3 SUMMARY OF COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSED REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLAN
No. Name Submission 001 Callan Goodall (Driving Miss Submission in support of the Total Mobility Scheme providers’ Daisy Invercargill) clause that reads, ”The provision of a wheelchair service is desirable but not mandatory”. Submit that their specialised additional service would complement the current options. 002 Carol Swale (Chairperson, Total That the current arrangements continue as at present (i.e. 24 Mobility, Transport Financial hour 7 day a week service) with mobile / wheelchair bound Committee) passengers provided adequately as at present. We have an excellent arrangement in Invercargill with the two taxi companies and this should not be jeopardised. 003 K Henderson & J W Mitchell (A) Our fleet of Vehicle's now have In − Car Electronic (Blue Star Taxis) Terminals and if the Council wished to change the way the billing system works to a plastic swipe card it can be done at very little cost. (B) The maximum subsidy from the Council to convert a van to become wheel chair capable is $22,000 plus GST. A small increase should be allowed for each year. To put on a Wheel chair capable Van an operator would be looking at around $55,000 to $60,000 for a Van plus $6,000 towards the conversion. (C) If putting on a Van to convert to be wheel chair capable it is to be no older than four years old coming into service. This would protect the Council's investment. (D) At present the Councils policy has been if an organization wants to be part of the Total Mobility scheme the organization must also have a wheelchair capable vehicle. With this policy it allows in this case Blue Star to do profitable work through the day and then the unprofitable work in the evenings. Over the week you then do end up making a profit by combining the day work and evening work together. We notice in your Public Transport Plan that investigations will include "use of non−taxi and vehicles as providers of Scheme" and on page 16 of the plan says "The provision of a wheelchair service is desirable but not mandatory” Because of the costs involved in setting up a Mobility van we can see our owners may start going away from operating these types of vehicles as there would be no certainty in the work. We do offer a 24 hr service and we can see if some other provider moves into this work they will not be offering the same level of service that we do and this will we believe disadvantage a lot of Mobility users, if your proposal goes ahead we can see organization doing what we call the good work and avoiding the non−profitable work. Blue Star Taxis does not have a problem with competition as long as all competitors are on the same playing field. 004 Roger Heale (New Zealand Taxi Submission for the removal of the following two clauses: Federation) “Use of non-Taxi companies and vehicles as providers of Total Mobility Scheme” And “The provision of a wheelchair service is desirable, but not mandatory.”
129 No. Name Submission Concerned with the possible change in direction with “Use of non-Taxi companies and vehicles as providers of Total Mobility Scheme”. Three major issues for Council to deal with: 1 Fare increases – 20.6% increase in the average fare, which will directly affect Council’s bottom line. 2 Security – opportunity for fraud and / or passenger abuse is drastically increased. 3 Administration – Each Privat Hire company would be eligible for Total Mobility work which will mean Council will have to deal with each company on an individual and on-going basis. This will not lead to increased efficiencies and cost reductions. Currently all providers are required to “assist in the provision of wheelchair hoist vehicles where demand warrants it and funding permits.” This condition has resulted in the development of a professional, safe and committed fleet of operators that can cater for all the needs of Southland’s community. Strongly feel that anyone undertaking Total Mobility work should show the same commitment and undertake the same costs as the current providers. 005 Russell Turnbull (Go Bus Funding (Page 7) Transport Limited) • Go Bus is concerned that without reference to the specific footnote, NZTA guidelines could imply to the reader that Invercargill should also attain a 50% fare recovery ratio. • We think The Plan should be clearer that although 50% may be a reasonable target for cities the size and density of Wellington and Auckland, the economies of scale these cities enjoy cannot be replicated in Invercargill. • We suggest Council is well placed to improve fare recovery in small, measured increments but would risk losing patronage in trying to achieve the same recovery margins as the large metropolitans. Future improvements (Page 10) • We suggest you expand bullet point six to read “Introduction of vehicle improvements, such as newer buses with lower emissions and possibly air-conditioning” so as to capture opportunities for vehicles with improved emission standards. • We fully support investment in improved infrastructure, such as: shelters and providing service information at bus-stops, Introducing an on-line real-time information system, and Improving the central city bus terminal. Units (Page 11) • Go Bus supports the proposed unit structure. • We note that The Plan states that ‘any new service will be deemed as a separate unit’. • We suggest this reads ‘any new service outside Invercargill will be deemed as a separate unit’ as it is then clear all services within Invercargill are contained in the one unit. Policies (page 13) Fares • In the Fares section, (page 15) we note that a 10% discount over cash for smart card fares is at the lower end of typical public transport discount regimes offered around the country.
130 No. Name Submission • A higher discount would increase use of the smart card which would assist greater use of public transport. Contract format • When tenders are evaluated on price and quality we suggest that evidence of a quality driver training program be considered as well as relevant experience, track record, relevant management and technical skills, methodology and vehicle quality 006 Janice Burton (Public Health Southern DHB would be happy to work alongside Council to South) implement the Health Lens Checklist to identify any potential impact on health of changes to the Southland Regional Transport Plan. Encourage the Council to consider providing some limited public transport options to Sandy Point, perhaps for a specified period during January and February in the summer. This would also facilitate access to Oreti Beach. Improving accessible physical activity recreational opportunities could contribute to improving wellbeing. Supports access to services – employment, education, health care services, food shopping. Supports Council’s commitment to an inclusive service. Submits that there are genuine transport access issues for a number of people living in rural Southland communities. Would support Council working with communities in seeking creative solutions. Commend Council’s commitment to supporting routes and timetables designed to take passengers from their homes to basic community services and activities at a reasonable cost. 007 Mary O’Brien (CCS Disability Submits that the following factors will reduce the availability and Action) quality of the Total Mobility scheme and that this reduced service will have a significant impact on the health and well- being of disabled people: - Assist in the provision of wheelchair hoist vehicles where demand warrants and funding permits. - The service availability hours are at least 7am to 7pm and that - The provision of a wheelchair service is desirable, but not mandatory. Request that the plan specifically states how it will assist the transport disadvantaged. Recommends clearly stating which buses are accessible in bus timetables, electronic timetables and any other timetable information. Request that the plan specifies what portion of buses in Invercargill and Gore are accessible and that the plan details how it will achieve the access standards required by the plan. Submit that Council form a disabled access group to consider access while developing the final plan. When considering bus fares the Council ensure that cost is not a barrier to disabled people by providing discounted fares to people with disabilities. This could be managed by providing a discount to Community Services Card Holders. Recommend that Council provide disability awareness training for bus drivers. CCS Disability Action is able to assist with this.
131 No. Name Submission 008 Carolyn Weston (Association of Commend Council for its accessible bus service. Blind Citizens) Recommend some other improvements: - Providing bus routes of tactile maps. - Provide information about time-tables and bus fares in accessible formats. - Upgrading Central Bus Terminal – hope that the upgrade will include a warmer, drier, sheltered waiting area where passengers can sit and wait for a bus. - Concerned that the newer bus shelters do not have seats. Invercargill has an aging population so seating in waiting areas will be more important as we all grow older. - Would like to see one of the northern routes changed to accommodate stopping outside Farmers or The Warehouse. - Concern about the lack of a bus before 10.30am on Saturdays. - Support Council’s policy on Farebox, more realistic to aim for 40% rather than the NZTA policy of 50%. - Invercargill should introduce ID Total Mobility Cards. Makes it easier for passengers and taxi drivers to administer. Would like a time-frame aligned to this strategic goal identified so a measured outcome can be achieved. - Found little mention of quality passenger service in the Total Mobility goals of this Draft Plan. Concerned that little mention is made of driver training other than new driver training. 009 Darlene Howell (Epilepsy Because Invercargill is such a small city it is important to Association of NZ) support the taxi companies already servicing Invercargill and Gore. As these are a 24 hour service it would be unfair and would affect the financial position of the organisations who have already put in the infrastructure to accommodate the Invercargill and Gore public. Not to allow any further organisations to become transporters of people under the Total Mobility Scheme unless there was a tremendous increase of population in the Southland area – specifically Invercargill. 010 Brendon Murray (Disabled Submission in opposition to the changes to Total Mobility that Persons Assembly) would allow providers to only provide the service between 7am and 7pm and that to be a Total Mobility provider they need not provide a wheelchair accessible van. 011 Vide Simmonds (Golden Ride Submission in support of the proposal to allow the use of non- Transport Service) taxi companies and vehicles as providers of the Total Mobility scheme. Doing so would mean that service users of the scheme would have more opportunity to have choices based on their need and convenience within the community. 012 Bruce Richards (NZ Transport Agency)
132 TO: COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE
FROM: CHIEF EXECUTIVE
MEETING DATE: MONDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2015
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
Report Prepared by: Mary Napper, Community Development Manager
SUMMARY
The Invercargill Youth Council will commence their year in mid-February. Neighbours Day is a new initiative being promoted for the first time in Invercargill.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the report be received.
IMPLICATIONS
1. Has this been provided for in the Long Term Plan/Annual Plan? N/A 2. Is a budget amendment required? N/A 3. Is this matter significant in terms of Council’s Policy on Significance? N/A 4. Implications in terms of other Council Strategic Documents or Council Policy? N/A 5. Have the views of affected or interested persons been obtained and is any further public consultation required? N/A
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
N/A
INVERCARGILL YOUTH COUNCIL
The Invercargill Youth Council will hold its first meeting on Wednesday 11 February 2015. There are twenty confirmed members with one school to still confirm their membership. The Youth Council will participate in a team building exercise and then elect their Chairpersons for the year.
133 NEIGHBOURS DAY AOTEAROA
Neighbours Day is a national initiative which aims to turn streets into neighbourhoods. The Neighbourhood Support programme is coordinating this initiative in Invercargill. It is planned to encourage individuals and groups to gather with their neighbours during the weekend of 28/29 March. Ideas include using their local park for a picnic, to play games or to just gather and celebrate being part of a neighbourhood.
THE FRIENDLY BRAND
Promotion of the brand continues with two businesses being presented with brand recognition at the February Council meeting.
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134 TO: COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE
FROM: THE DIRECTOR OF WORKS AND SERVICES
MEETING DATE: MONDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2015
JANUARY 2015 – GYMNASIUM ADDITION REVISED
Report Prepared by: Peter Thompson – Aquatic Services Manager
SUMMARY
A revised costing for a gym at Splash Palace is found to contribute positively to the financial situation at the pool after one year.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the report be received.
IMPLICATIONS
1. Has this been provided for in the Long Term Plan/Annual Plan? Yes – Provision for a facility at Splash Palace is in the Council Long Term Plan (LTP) and has been included in the draft 2015-2025 LTP which will be consulted on later this year. 2. Is a budget amendment required? No. 3. Is this matter significant in terms of Council’s Policy on Significance? No. 4. Implications in terms of other Council Strategic Documents or Council Policy? The provision of a gym at Splash Palace is consistent with Council vision and policy. 5. Have the views of affected or interested persons been obtained and is any further public consultation required? Yes, the proposal is again included in the draft LTP.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Financial indicators in the report are based on those submitted for Council’s LTP which show positive financial performance after one year.
135 BACKGROUND
In response to a report provided to the Community Services Committee in March 2014, Council requested revisions to the plan for a gym at Splash Palace and consultation undertaken with other gym operators in Invercargill.
The attached revision (Appendix 1) includes improvements on the original gym layout plan and also incorporates additional change room space and café space driven by demand issues on amenities at Splash Palace through significant admission numbers.
The loan funded CAPEX for the gym, change room and café construction and ongoing operational expenditure for the gym is entirely funded by the operation of the gym itself.
This report provides Council with an overview of the plan to date leading up to consultation on the LTP later in 2015.
CONCLUSION
The report highlights changes per Council’s request and the outcomes of consultation undertaken with other gym operators in Invercargill. The revised proposal is consistent with Council’s vision and policy and strongly contributes to several of Council’s Community Outcomes.
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136 APPENDIX 1 DRAFT
Splash Palace Drive up Jump Out Dive in
January 2015 Gymnasium Addition Revised
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Executive Summary ...... 3 Introduction ...... 5 Clean-slate review ...... 7 Change Rooms ...... 7 Café ...... 8 Overall Plan Improvements ...... 9 Change Room Space...... 9 Reception / Café ...... 11 Gymnasium ...... 12 Financial ...... 14 Capital Cost ...... 15 Cost / Benefit ...... 15 Project Funding ...... 16 Consultation with other Gym Operators ...... 16 References ...... 19 Appendix I – Revised Gymnasium / Café / Reception / Change room layout and 3D models ...... 20 Appendix II – Feedback from Gym Operators ...... 22 World Health and Fitness Invercargill ...... 22 YMCA ...... 23 Advance Fitness ...... 28
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Executive Summary In response to Council’s request, a detailed review of the proposed gymnasium for Splash Palace has been undertaken and is outlined in this report.
Council raised several direct specific items to be addressed with regard to the layout and space availability of the previous plan and also sought consultation with other gym operators. Additionally there has been indirect acknowledgement of concern regarding how the proposal will be funded; CAPEX and OPEX inclusive.
Based on loan-funded capital and a very conservative financial operational model the revised proposal is fully self-funding and contributes financially to the overall bottom line of the facility whilst significantly improving levels of service, health and safety and providing additional health, fitness and recreational opportunities for our community. Overall, Pacific people and Māori participants tended to be higher users of the council’s leisure facilities than European participants. (Auckland Council Leisure Facilities – People’s Panel Survey, Jan 2014)
Invercargill is one of few main centres that does not offer a Council run Swim/Gym, yet like most other Councils nationwide the ICC LTP states that Council will “Provide or promote the provision of a diverse range of excellent quality and safe indoor and outdoor recreational facilities, both natural and man made“(ICC LTP 2012-2022) to assist in delivery of the Community Outcome “Residents enjoy good physical and mental health” (ICC LTP 2012-2022).
A gym at Splash Palace is intended primarily to provide an opportunity for our most at-risk residents and those who would “…there is more of a not normally attend a traditional commercial gym; it is a community feel and different market entirely. as an obese person, I Feedback indicates demand for a swim/gym… think there are more …and it is unlikely that any existing gym will variety of people build a pool to meet the demand. using council fitness centres.” Survey feedback indicates demand for a swim/gym facility yet (Respondent comment - this same demand is not reflected in increasing numbers at Auckland Council Leisure conventional gyms citywide. This tends to indicate a gap in the Facilities – People’s Panel market and it is unlikely that any existing gym will build a pool Survey, Jan 2014) to meet the demand.
Consultation with other Gym operators unsurprisingly yields little enthusiasm for the proposed gym from a commercial perspective however in response to questions about the facilities at Splash Palace, the addition of a gym was the first item in the identification of other facilities respondents (Invercargill residents) wanted to see at Splash Palace. We
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believe the need and desire of our Community for the provision of a gym at Splash Palace will not be at the expense of commercial operators who currently cater to an existing dedicated niche market.
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Introduction In late March 2014 a report was presented to Council outlining the proposal for the addition of a gym to Splash Palace. The report demonstrated that a number of Council’s Community Outcomes would be reinforced and contributed to by the construction of a public gym at Splash Palace. Additionally the proposal would remove some barriers for at-risk residents by providing for, and encouraging them to take part in gym exercise in a non-traditional gym setting which in turn would demonstrate Council’s proactive approach in tackling Invercargill’s higher than average obesity statistics and other related health issues.
The proposal illustrated the concept of building a gymnasium within the existing shell of the building. This required that the interior of the building, and in particular the ‘dryside’ of the building undertake extensive remodelling, including:
• Removal of the Café • Remodelling the reception area to also incorporate the Cafe • Utilisation of the Russell Cushen Multipurpose Room for the Gym • Significant reduction of the Café seating area
At the time the proposal was put forward, Council expressed its concern over two key issues that needed addressed before proceeding:
1. The proposal did not provide enough space for the adequate function of the Gym, Café and Swimming Pool reception area, and; 2. Consultation was required with other gym operators in Invercargill.
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Since the report was first put to Council, a number of things have occurred that have changed the landscape with regard to the increased relevance of the proposal, and the subsequent reinforcing of the opportunity for Council to provide a Gym at Splash Palace:
1. Research First “Invercargill City Council Community and Regulatory Services: 2014 Residents Survey”. When asked what facilities respondents would like to see at Invercargill has higher- Splash Palace in the future, the addition of a gym placed than-average rates of in the top 3 (behind “a larger pool” and “improved hydroslide”) followed by “Bigger / More Changing obesity, smoking, Rooms”. alcohol consumption 2. Alarming statistics from the Ministry of Health (MoH) and preventative that show 1 in 3 Invercargill residents is obese and chronic diseases such as Invercargill has higher-than-average rates of obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption and preventative chronic diabetes. diseases such as diabetes. 3. The subsequent recent announcement (November 2014) of a 1.9 million dollar four year funding initiative ‘Healthy Families NZ’ to tackle the health (or more aptly ill-health) epidemic in Invercargill and Council’s commitment to this. 4. The ‘Healthy Families NZ’ cabinet paper that signals local Mayors will be opted on as governance members for each Community. 5. Potential partnerships with organisations such as Nga Kete to facilitate more people into physical activity, particularly those high risk or ‘at risk’ who may not be identified through other channels.
Council’s request to review the plans, and consult with other gym operators has proven timely given the recent focus from central Alarming government on Invercargill and what its community leaders are doing to facilitate change (through physical activity, health choices etc). This statistics from the report will detail the results of a ‘clean slate’ review of the gym and MoH show that 1 includes revised financial models with respect to the revised plans.
in 3 Invercargill The results of the Residents Survey, and the obvious desire from residents is residents for a gymnasium at Splash Palace has required a re-think of prospective admission numbers through the facility; the thinking and obese subsequent planning around this is also detailed in this report.
Finally, feedback from consultation undertaken with gym operators around Invercargill is also discussed in this report.
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Clean-slate review
Change Rooms Since 2010/11 Splash Palace has seen a significant increase in the number of admissions into the facility. In the past four years annual increases in admissions have peaked at just over 385,000 which represents an average of 1,060 admissions per day (total admissions / 363 opening days) and is significantly more than the absolute maximum of 350,0001 the pool was originally designed to cater for.
Annual Admission Numbers 390000 380000 370000 360000 350000 340000 330000 320000 310000 300000 290000
These higher admission numbers represent a significantly increased demand on the pool facilities; water ‘real estate’ is one issue, however the demand is more obvious in terms of changing room space including shower areas and change areas especially during school swimming or sports events (this was highlighted again in feedback from Research First “Invercargill City Council Community and Regulatory Services: 2014 Residents Survey”. Feedback from our customers has consistently pointed to a lack of changing room space during these times and the ‘state’ of the change rooms during busy periods.
The issue is compounded by the inability for Splash Palace staff to clean the changing rooms in response to the effect of increased numbers through the changing rooms. It is not possible, for example, to adequately scrub and hose a changing room with chemicals or pressure hoses when they are in use, nor is it possible for a male staff member to enter the female change rooms (or vice versa) in response to a cleaning requirement. As a result the change rooms are often not maintained to a satisfactory level of cleanliness.
A review of the proposed gymnasium addition to Splash Palace suggests that the gym addition will further increase the demand on the change rooms. An expected increase in membership numbers
1 Southland Times, January 1997 7 | Splash Palace – January 2015 Gymnasium Addition Revised Invercargill City Council
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will place a obvious demand on already stretched services and it is also expected that ‘cleaning windows’, i.e. times when swimmer numbers are low enough to allow staff to clean the change rooms will be reduced or eliminated altogether when the gym becomes operational; this is an opportunity for the construction of the gym to contribute to better change facilities for swimmers too.
Café The Splash Palace café has undergone a number of significant changes in the past couple of years and is now an integral part of the operation of the facility. Moreover, the café too is now experiencing issue of demand accelerating faster than the ability for the café to supply; this is evident in café foods, coffee and seating areas. Despite this however the café continues to improve markedly on its previous year income numbers with increases over the past three years between 120 and 155% annually, this trend is expected to continue.
Café Income % Improvements (Annual) 180 160 140
120 100 80 60 % Improvement 40 20 0 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14
Council highlighted a potential issue with the proposed move of the café to the reception area with a ‘bottle neck’ occurring near the café counter and the main entry to the Swimming Pool area from the ‘dryside’.
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Given the increased cafe usage, on review it is expected that this bottleneck area could impede both access to and from the wet areas and impede customers waiting at the café. There is also a health and safety concern of customers and/or staff taking hot drinks or meals to and from the proposed seating area.
Overall Plan Improvements After careful consideration of the feedback from Council and after consultation with Councillors, Staff, User groups and ‘regular’ users the following points summarise the key areas that needed to be addressed in the revised plan:
• Change room space • Revision of Gym floor space given revised membership numbers • Adequate space for Café operation and seating • Retention of the Russell Cushen Rooms • Improved foot traffic paths through Reception.
These points are addressed below.
Change Room Space The revised plan adds two change rooms to the east of the existing change rooms. This area is currently vastly under-utilised paving and the additional change rooms extend nine metres to the east of the existing shell of the building.
Each new Change room would be an open plan, with three toilet pans in each and an open shower bay and change area.
The change rooms have been designated ‘Change 1’ and Change 2’ to allow for them to be utilised on an as needed basis. The workflow below suggests a possible usage of this (for example):
6am- 8am- 10am- 12pm-2pm 2pm-4pm 4pm-6pm 6pm-8pm 8pm-CLOSE 8am 10am 12pm Swim Swim Southland Change Waihopai MALE Southland Girls High Swim School CHANGE Swim Meet 1 Meet (MALE) (MALE) Swim Swim Southland Change Synchro Synchro FEMALE Southland Swim Camp Camp CHANGE Swim Meet 2 Meet (FEMALE) (FEMALE) CLOSED FOR PUBLIC PUBLIC PUBLIC PUBLIC PUBLIC PUBLIC PUBLIC Males CLEANING CLOSED FOR PUBLIC PUBLIC PUBLIC PUBLIC PUBLIC PUBLIC PUBLIC Females CLEANING
There are several advantages to a setup like this:
1. The public are kept separate from school groups, clubs, events groups and the like that traditionally cause congestion due to limited change room space.
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2. The additional change rooms allow us to ‘close’ a change room when necessary for cleaning and provide change facilities in one or other of Change 1 and Change 2. 3. The open style showers in Change 1 and Change 2 make it much easier for teachers and parents to control school age children who often ‘lock’ themselves in the shower cubicles.
These points provide a significantly more comfortable and hygienic experience for ALL users and therefore lifts significantly the level of service and dramatically improves health and safety.
In order to provide the necessary exit and entry points to and from Poolside, a corridor would be installed in the South end of the facility which would effectively eliminate the existing staffroom.
Staffroom facilities would move to the existing Operations Room. This provides an opportunity for staff (and in particular Supervisory staff) to better monitor poolside and have access to available staff on break should the need arise whereas in the past this was not practical; this is a significant health and safety improvement for both staff and customers.
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Reception / Café In light of the improvements seen in the performance of the Café, and in respect to the suggestion by Council to see improved seating for the Café the revised design allows for a slightly expanded Café preparation and operation area. Additionally, the revised reception/counter area enables three cash/EFT tills to be operated to cover both general reception and café; this leads to significant advantages of efficiency during peak times (eg term swim lessons, sale days etc) and also allows for Splash Palace to continue to serve hot drinks outside of normal Café operation hours.
Additional café seating closer to the café has also been provided with seating now North of the café / reception area. This provides safer and easier access to and from the café, seating with a view of the pool, ready access to toilets and a more defined cafe seating area. Further, the ‘access’ corridor has been significantly increased to accommodate unimpeded traffic
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.
The revised plan also shows outdoor café seating to the north of the Multi-Purpose room. This paved terrace area is for reference purposes only, and instead may simply contain the existing picnic tables on either grass or pavers.
Gymnasium The original plan for the Gymnasium was to construct it within the existing shell of the building. However, outcomes from consultation with user groups, council and other similar facilities in similar population sized areas suggest that the proposed gym in the earlier plan would not have been sufficient.
Subsequently, the revised plan allows for a building extension to the north-east of the facility utilising currently unused greenspace. Furthermore, the revised plan has an increased floor area over the former design plan with 186sqm of gym space + Multipurpose and retention of the Russell Cushen room versus 143sqm of gym space + Multipurpose room and the loss of the Russell Cushen Room.
The new design has the additional advantage of simple ‘future expansion’. If the gym required expansion the northern most wall could simply be moved to the northern-most boundary supplying an additional 132sqm2 of space.
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Further efficiencies are gained by the design of the external shell. Given the single access into the gym area (aside from fire exits), the area can be environmentally controlled independent to the rest of the aquatic facility. Build costs are further mitigated by the removal of the necessity for vapour barrier in the gym area given space isolation and the independent environmental controls.
The North-East front wall of the Gymnasium is full length windows with louvres. This enables some solar gain for heating if required and adds a significant ‘modernisation’ to the facility as well as an attractive outlook for gym users and indeed persons on the outside of the facility.
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In summary, this design offers several distinct advantages over the former:
1. The Russell Cushen room and Multi-purpose room are maintained for clubs, group trainings, meetings etc. 2. The floor area of the gym is increased. 3. Control of admission to the gym is improved. 4. Environmental control of the gym is improved. 5. The ability to ‘expand’ the gym if and when required is significantly easier; this is achieved by moving the northern most wall further to the north (gains an additional 132sqm). 6. The design is significantly more aesthetically appealing and modern. …consultation with Financial other similar centres Initial conservative estimates of membership numbers suggested an annual gym membership of 435 ‘Swim/Gym’ members however (Nelson, Dunedin, consultation with other similar centres (Nelson, Dunedin, Napier) Napier) revealed revealed that a membership number closer to 1000 would be more that a membership appropriate. A revision which preserves the initial conservative nature number closer to of the model increases the membership base to 660 which still provides the required income to ensure the gym is financially viable. 1000 would be more appropriate. For comparative purposes, a cash effect financial model has been constructed showing three different scenarios for the first five years of operation. Each scenario represents the same expenditure but, respectively, Very Conservative, Conservative and Optimistic income models.
The model has been constructed on conversion rates of swim memberships to ‘Swim & Gym’ memberships and the addition of new ‘Swim & Gym’ members.
Conversion rates New Members Total
‘Swim & Gym’ members
Very Conservative 2% - 50% 275 660
Conservative 4% - 65% 350 928
Optimistic 6% - 75% 550 1285
A financial analysis of a supplementary five year forecast based on the Very Conservative model3 (scenario 1) with an affordable and an equitable market based membership fee (indicatively $7004), and growth assumptions (Revenue and Expenditure) of 2% respectively, shows:
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Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
Revenue $406,067 $415,523 $425,168 $435,006 $445,041
Expenditure5 $407,970 $402,839 $405,765 $408,750 $411,795
Surplus/(Deficit) $(1,903) $12,684 $19,403 $26,256 $33,246
• First year small net deficit due to capital expense of equipment purchase • Small net surplus in the second year, and every year thereafter • Improved utilization of space; revenue of $2183+6 per m² of Gym space.
Capital Cost As at 13 November 2014 the Capital cost to build the gym, additional change rooms and Café/Foyer modifications is $2,137,000. This is made up from the following cost items:
1. Café and Foyer $177,000 2. Change rooms Extension $962,000 3. Gymnasium Extension $795,000 4. External Works $203,000
Total Order of Cost Estimate7 $2,137,000
Cost / Benefit Cost Capital Cost to build (funded by loan) $2,137,000
Benefit – Financial Based on a 2% increase in income each year (through increasing membership numbers) and a 2% increase in expenses every year, there is a net financial benefit to Council for every year after the first year of operation.
Benefit – Operational • Maximises use of available space (increased revenue per square metre). • Better overall design of Reception / Cafeteria.
4 Annual Adult Membership 5Includes loan debt servicing of 200,000 pa. 6 Based on gym floor area of 186m² (1st year) 7 The cost estimate as it stands may fluctuate with minor revisions of the plan.
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• Increases Café operational hours without increasing staff overheads. • Improves and reinforces philosophy of the Aquatic Services goal to “improve health and fitness, education, sport and leisure services for the Community” (ICC LTP 2012-2022). • Maximises efficiency of space and staff. • Reduces wet areas. • Improves aesthetics of building, the foyer area in the pool is one of the last remaining areas to be refurbished given the age (17years) of the building. This would be a cost regardless of whether or not the gym project went ahead.
Benefit – Social • Creates a gym environment in a familiar space for users who might not otherwise utilise a gym. • Enables and encourages existing members to add resistance / aerobic / anaerobic workouts to their fitness training; improving their wellbeing. • Enabling and encouraging youth and disadvantaged groups to take up additional / supplementary forms of fitness. • Provides an improved recovery / rehabilitation environment (pool/gym) for use by physiotherapy and rehabilitative services. • Provides a holistic training facility for existing and future aquatic clubs, sports groups/clubs, amateur and elite athletes, and other user groups. • Improves Council’s ‘brand’ in the local and national community.
Project Funding The project is to be funded by Invercargill City Council Building Assets via a loan drawn down in 2015/16. With loan repayments not required until the following year, the annual debt servicing amount of approximately $200,000 will not take effect until 2016/17 which has the additional benefit of seeing income from a partial year of gym operation (provided the gym is completed during the 16/17 year). The 16/17 budget, which includes the debt servicing of $200,000 is (at January 2015) less than a 1% increase on the 15/16 year.
Loan Amount: $2,137,000 Loan Period: 20 Years Indicative Debt Servicing amount: $200,000 per annum
Consultation with other Gym Operators Council asked that consultation be undertaken with other gym operators in Invercargill. Contact was attempted with the following operators:
• SNAP Fitness (Franchise) • Advance Fitness (Franchise) • World Health and Fitness (local owner / operator) • YMCA (National Body)
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The local Les Mills franchise was excluded due to the non-comparative nature of their business. Les Mills [Bodyvibes] offers classes only, something that the proposed gym at Splash Palace would not offer.
Whilst the four gymnasiums that were approached offered a range of responses, unsurprisingly the majority of franchise operations not vested in “From an ethical Invercargill were against the proposed gymnasium altogether (no feedback was received from SNAP Fitness, although attempts were made several perspective I want to times to contact local managers and Snap Fitness CEO Peter Taunton). It see health and appears from feedback received that the focus for these gymnasiums was of wellbeing of a largely commercial nature.
Invercargill residents Feedback received from Sid Cumming, owner/operator of World Health and improved…” Fitness shared similar commercial sentiments of the other businesses but Sid Cumming suggested that Invercargill City Council “should recognise that health and Owner/Operator wellbeing of its residents is a priority above all else.” In a response to being World Health and Fitness asked for his thoughts on the proposal he stated that he believed “that Splash Palace will act as a gateway gym” presumably introducing the benefit of gym exercise to non-gym goers to the benefit of all other gyms and related activities in Invercargill.
Feedback received from Mr Clayton Sinclair (Director and 100% shareholder of Advance Fitness Clubs Limited (NZ), Advance Fitness Marketing (NZ) Limited and Sinclair Group Holdings PTY Ltd Australia) was against the proposal for purely commercial reasons.
Feedback received from the YMCA argued that the proposed cost of $700 pa for a Swim/Gym membership did not benefit those on lower incomes.
For the sake of simplicity the only pricing mechanism shown in the original report was for that of a 12 month adult membership. Whilst not shown, Splash Palace already has a multitude of different membership options and is additionally investigating a number of pricing models that benefit those on lower incomes including Community Service Card holder discounts, Direct Debit options and “…ICC should also expanding our Green Prescription programme, all options that recognise that health benefit at-risk, low income users. and wellbeing of its The YMCA further argued that the location of Splash Palace did not residents is a priority necessarily advantage residents in South and East Invercargill above all else.” whose demographic was largely from lower-socioeconomic Sid Cumming neighbourhoods. With regard to the location of Splash Palace, the Owner/Operator following diagram from Otago University shows the respective World Health and Fitness deprivation indexes for suburbs of Invercargill.
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Regardless of the actual distances, Splash Palace is still clearly the most South-Eastern facility located in a deprivation 10 (most deprived) area. Research from the Ministry of Health indicates that “health behaviours and risk factors were strongly influenced by neighbourhood deprivation” and that “People living in more deprived areas are less likely to be physically active” (NZ Ministry of Health. 2012).
This view, shared by researchers internationally “Why do low–socioeconomic status (SES) groups more often act in ways that harm their health than high-SES groups? Health behaviors [sic] such as …lack of exercise… contribute importantly to…differences in health and mortality” (Pampel et al.2010) is supported by even more international research that shows residents in lower socio-economic neighbourhoods tend to report lower perceived access to recreational facilities (Corti & Donovan 2002). This perception is significantly mitigated by the localising of recreational facilities.
Most significantly for Council however is research supported by multiple sources that those in higher deprivation areas “have few opportunities to achieve positive goals;” (Baum et al. 1999, Lantz et al. 2005, McEwen 1998) and are therefore more likely to minimise exercise in normal daily routines. This proposal creates for Council the opportunity for our most at-risk residents, our people. Council must seize the initiative, show leadership and generate positive social influence in our population. There are only positive outcomes from this proposal that ultimately benefits our community as a whole.
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References 1. Baum A, Garofalo JP, Yali AM. Socioeconomic status and chronic stress: Does stress account for SES effects on health? Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1999;896:131–144. 2. BP&A, Auckland City Council. Auckland City Council Leisure Facilities – Peoples Panel Survey. 2014:3,14. 3. Giles-Corti B, Donovan RJ. Socioeconomic status differences in recreational physical activity levels and real and perceived access to a supportive physical environment. PUBMED. 2002:601-611. 4. Lantz PM, House JS, Lepkowski JM, Williams DR, Mero RP, Chen J. Socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, and mortality: results from a nationally representative prospective study of U.S. adults. JAMA. 1998;279:1703–1708. 5. McEwen B. Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. New Engl. J. Med. 1998;338:171–179. 6. NZ Ministry of Health. The Health of New Zealand Adults 2011/12: Key findings of the New Zealand Health Survey. Wellington: Ministry of Health. 2012. 7. Otago University NZ Social Deprivation Index Map http://www.otago.ac.nz/wellington/departments/publichealth/research/hirp/otago020194. html. 2013. 8. Pampel FC, Kruger PM, Denny JT. Socioeconomic Disparities in Health Behaviors. National Institute of Health. August 2010:1-3. 9. “Pools for work or play”. The Southland Times 31 Jan. 1997, Supplement ed.: 6. Print. 10. Research First. Invercargill City Council Community & Regulatory Services: 2014 Residents Survey. 2014:89-96.
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Appendix I – Revised Gymnasium / Café / Reception / Change room layout and 3D models
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Appendix II – Feedback from Gym Operators
World Health and Fitness Invercargill
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YMCA
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Advance Fitness
From: Clayton Sinclair [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, 2 June 2014 9:16 p.m. To: Customer Services Subject: Objection to Fitness Centre (Gym) at Splash Palace
Dear Sir or Madam
I have been approached by the Manager at Splash Palace (Peter Thompson), seeking my feedback regarding the possible opening of a gym at Splash Palace. I have presented my reasons to Peter, regarding my belief that a council run gym is inappropriate and unnecessary in Invercargill. However, I thought it appropriate to forward my concerns directly to the Council.
Essentially, I feel that another facility of the type that is proposed is unnecessary and will harm the current fitness businesses in town without offering an increase in amenity for residents.
I understand that there are people that presently use Splash Palace pool facilities that have gym memberships elsewhere. This being the case, the addition of a gym at Splash Palace would seem likely to result in the cancellation of the memberships with the privately run gyms. Note however, that if these people have gym memberships elsewhere (other than a possible slight increase in geographical convenience) the council is not providing any additional service or value beyond what is already available.
I would suggest that Splash Palace is not creating a new niche (an idea suggested by Peter), just offering a value-add to gym memberships (ie gym membership + pool). As such, I feel that if a gym is added to Splash Palace, many of the new members would come from the current “gym-user” base, creating duress for the current fitness centres in Invercargill.
From a gym-user perspective, the people of Invercargill are already well catered for in terms of the variety of facilities available to them. I see no reason why the council should support the opening of another gym facility that will put current gym operators at risk, whilst not offering any further value/amenity to the community. I understand that pool facilities in other areas also include gyms. However, I understand that private facilities have grown significantly since these Council run gym facilities were opened. Whilst there may have been justification for council run gyms in the past, I do not believe that to be the case in Invercargill or any major town in NZ today.
From a cost perspective (I am admittedly unaware of how the proposed facility will be funded), it would seem that if the Splash Palace gym is commercially successful it would be at the cost of the other (rate paying) businesses in town due to loss of members. Otherwise, if it is not commercially successful, then would the shortfall be covered by rate payers (roughly 80% of which don’t attend gyms)? Either way, the outcome doesn’t seem to commercially or ethically appropriate.
Please let me know if there are any queries. Otherwise, I look forward to receiving a response on this matter. 28 | Splash Palace – January 2015 Gymnasium Addition Revised Invercargill City Council
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Regards
Clayton Sinclair
Director
Advance Fitness
56 Conon Street
Invercargill
P: 03 218 8624 www.advancefitnessclub.co.nz
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166 TO: COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE
FROM: THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES
MEETING DATE: MONDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2015
2015/16 FEES AND CHARGES
Report Prepared by: Melissa Short – Strategy and Policy Manager
SUMMARY
Updated fees and charges for the 2015/16 financial year are attached for the Committee’s consideration. The attached fees and charges have been utilised by departmental managers when developing their budgets.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the attached Fees and Charges be adopted for inclusion in the Draft Long Term Plan.
IMPLICATIONS
1. Has this been provided for in the Long Term Plan/Annual Plan? Fees and charges are used for the development of the Long Term Plan. 2. Is a budget amendment required? No 3. Is this matter significant in terms of Council’s Policy on Significance? No 4. Implications in terms of other Council Strategic Documents or Council Policy? No 5. Have the views of affected or interested persons been obtained and is any further public consultation required? Public consultation is undertaken as part of the Long Term Plan process.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
No financial implications arise from this report.
FEES AND CHARGES
Updated fees and charges for the 2015/16 financial year are attached for the Committee’s consideration. The attached fees and charges have been utilised by departmental managers when developing their budgets.
167 Appendix One contains the current and 2015/16 fees and charges for the following activities:
• Housing Care • Library and Archives • Passenger Transport • Pools
The Community Development Activity does not have any fees or charges.
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168 APPENDIX 1
HOUSING CARE
FEE TYPE 2014/15 2015/16 GST Not Applicable Studio units (per week) Up to 93.00 Up to 97.00 One bedroom units (per week) Up to 108.00 Up to 111.00 One bedroom units with carport (per week) Up to 109.00 Up to 112.00 Two bedroom special needs unit (per week) Up to 165.00 Up to 165.00
169 LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES
FEE TYPE 2014/15 2015/16 Lending Services Book Bag 2.00 2.00 Book Covering 5.00 5.00 Book mending/book repair (minimum) 6.00 6.00 Digital image (minimum) 5.00 DVD (including Bluray) – new releases 2.50 1.00 Electronic Games (PS / Xbox / Wii) 2.50 2.50 Fax (minimum) plus fee/minute/location 2.50 2.50 Hot Pick Books/Magazines/DVDs 2.50 2.50 Interloans (minimum) 5.00 5.00 Interloans (urgent) 25.00 25.00 Internet (30 minutes) – Note Council continues to provide the 2.00 2.00 “pay” option for internet usage, but also has free internet available in Information Services. Meeting Room Hire Half day 70.00 70.00 Full day 122.00 125.00 Overdues non-chargeable items (per day) 0.20 0.20 Overdues chargeable items (per day) 0.50 0.50 Printing (per copy) A4 Black and white 0.20 0.20 A3 Black and white 0.40 A4 Colour 0.50 0.50 A3 Colour 1.00 Replacement library card 2.00 Research – contract from within New Zealand (minimum) 10.00 10.00 Research – contract from outside New Zealand (minimum) 20.00 20.00 Scanning – email 2.50 2.50 Reserves 0.60 0.50 USB stick (8GB) 10.00
170 PASSENGER TRANSPORT
FEE TYPE From 1 February From 1 February 2015 2016 Under five years old Peak Free Free Off-Peak Free Free Cross City Free Free Child (5-15 years) Peak 1.90 2.10 Off-Peak 1.40 1.60 Cross City 2.40 2.60 Adult Peak 2.80 3.00 Off-Peak 1.40 1.60 Cross City 3.40 3.60 Senior Citizen Peak 1.90 2.10 Off-Peak 1.40 1.60 Cross City 2.40 2.60 Super Gold Card Peak 1.90 2.10 Off-Peak Free Free Cross City 2.40 2.60
NOTES: 1. The cross-city fare lets you take two trips within the hour. 2. Bus Smart card users receive a 10% discount on all fares.
171 POOLS
FEE TYPE 2014/15 2015/16 Splash Palace Adult 5.50 6.00 Senior (60 years or over) 4.00 4.50 Student (Full time tertiary) 4.50 4.50 Child 3.50 4.00 Lane Space (peak time) (20/25m lane space per hour plus entry) 18.50 20.00 Lane Space (off peak) (20/25m lane space booking fee plus entry) 5.00 8.00
172