Regional Public Transport Plan

Since we adopted the last Canterbury Regional Public Transport Plan in 2018 there have been some significant changes. Most notably, we have all experienced and responded to the effects of a major pandemic – changing the way we live, work and move around the region.

Our public transport network is constantly being reviewed and improved. Changes since the last plan/ Ngā rerekētanga mai i te mahere o mua include:

Bus service enhancements

We now have direct services from Selwyn and Waimakariri Districts to the city, with local Park and Ride facilities to support them. A successful trial of Route 86 Darfield to the City, is now a permanent service, and we have improved the frequency of Routes: 3 Airport to Sumner, 8 Port-to-Port (Airport to Lyttelton) and 27 Northwood to Huntsbury. Further changes to bus frequencies are planned for some routes, see Public Transport Futures, page 16 of the consultation document.

More electric buses

We continue to upgrade our vehicle fleet – this includes the addition of 25 new electric buses in 2024, bringing our total to 70.

A new look for Metro

In 2020, we launched a new exterior design for Metro buses. The Greater Christchurch fleet is now a distinctive teal colour, with designs inspired by taonga/treasure species, the foods and resources shared by early Māori, and the natural landscape that connected them. Our story reflects how Metro is now a vital mode of connection across our region, with the consistent branding reflecting the connected network.

On-demand services

The innovative MyWay by Metro on-demand service in Timaru started as a trial in 2020 and is now permanent. Public transport usage has soared as the community have embraced this service.

Flat-fare trial

We are one-year into Environment Canterbury’s two-year flat-fare trial. Customers with Metrocards pay $2 for bus travel across Greater Christchurch. The fare trial also includes $1 concessions for under 25's, Community Service Card holders, tertiary students and Total Mobility card holders.

On-bus screens with real-time info

Next-stop information is being rolled out on Metro buses in Greater Christchurch. The screens allow customers to easily see the next three stops and how far away they are, from the comfort of their seat.

SuperGold Card changes

We changed the rules for SuperGold Card holders in Greater Christchurch, so they can travel for free on any Metro bus and ferry after 9am on weekdays, and all weekend.

Customer support team trial

In April, we established a customer support team. Its aim is to ensure a positive customer experience while travelling on some of Metro’s busier Greater Christchurch routes. The team also helps direct people to the correct buses and stops and provides other assistance to customers as needed. The team will be in place for at least a year, on a trial basis.

Motu Move - National Ticketing

Canterbury will be the first region in Aotearoa New Zealand to use Motu Move. This National Ticketing Solution will be rolled out across the country region by region. Motu Move will provide a range of easy-to-use payment methods, like contactless debit or credit cards, digital payments on mobile phones and smart watches and a prepaid Motu Move card.

Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan and Transport Plan

The Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan sets out a future city design to accommodate population growth and land-use, which is intertwined with how people move around for work, life or play. The plan was developed with community input through the Huihui Mai engagement in 2023. It has been woven into the direction within our public transport plan. The Greater Christchurch Transport Plan will provide an integrated investment plan for transport. Once finalised it will include an action plan that gives effect to the spatial plan.

Central government changes

This draft plan incorporates changes made by central government to the Land Transport Management Act in 2023.

Our regionwide transport services/Ngā rātonga waka i tō mātou rohe whānui deliver services to Cantabrians in urban and rural communities.

Metro

In Greater Christchurch, we operate all services under the Metro brand. This includes 27 bus routes servicing Waimakariri, Christchurch and Selwyn, as well as the Diamond Harbour ferry service. We also operate specialist school services.

MyWay by Metro

In Timaru, we operate MyWay by Metro, a popular on-demand service. In the last year, Timaru residents have taken 267,000 trips and increased their use of public transport by more than 30%. We also operate specialist services, including a peak-time Temuka service and school services in Timaru.

Total Mobility

In partnership with central government, we subsidise the Total Mobility scheme. This scheme assists eligible people to access appropriate transport to meet their daily needs. This is an increasingly popular service, with more than 14,000 people currently eligible for subsidised trips.

Community Vehicle Trusts

We support 17 Community Vehicle Trusts with funding grants so they can provide transport in rural areas. The trusts operate in Kaikōura, Hanmer Springs , Cheviot, Amuri, Hawarden-Waikari, Amberley, North Canterbury, Darfield (Malvern), Ellesmere, Ashburton, Geraldine, Fairlie, Twizel-Tekapo, Temuka, Pleasant Point, Waimate and Waitaki Valley.

We’ve incorporated all the updates made to our public transport network in Canterbury over the last six years into the plan, so you can see how and why we operate the way we do.

Our vision

We have revised our vision for the public transport network and want to know what you think:

Public transport is the mode of choice for more people and provides a safe, frequent, seamless, low emission transport option.

Our top five priorities

We recognise there is opportunity to improve how attractive and user-friendly our network is and get more people using our service, more often. To reflect this, our key priorities in the draft plan are:

• Improving our environment: By reducing the carbon footprint of public transport and shifting to low or zero emission vehicles.
• Growing patronage: By encouraging more people to use public transport, as we provide more buses, more often and a high-quality customer experience.
• Innovation and technology: By integrating technology that will improve and complement our public transport system.
• Accessibility: By providing more frequent public transport services so that more people can get to workplaces, shopping, education and recreation within 30 minutes of travel time.
• Affordability: By expanding the network at a rate the community can afford, with cost effective services and infrastructure that is financially sustainable for users, ratepayers and funding agencies.

Our policy areas

1. Networks, service levels, infrastructure, and supporting measures
2. Funding and fares
3. Customers
4. Standards, procurement, monitoring and review

We’ve reviewed all the policies with our partners and revised them to reflect changes from the last six years. We’ve added a draft policy for passengers travelling with pets on public transport and described Motu Move – the National Ticketing Solution.

How the plan was developed

Over the last six years, we have consulted on components of this plan. Many of you have given feedback on our public transport plans through our Council’s annual and long-term plans. The Greater Christchurch partnership has looked at the future approach of mass rapid transit along growing corridors with consultation on the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan development in 2023.

This plan was developed in partnership through the Greater Christchurch Partnership Committee and Canterbury Regional Transport Committee, which includes representatives from all local councils and key stakeholders, aligning infrastructure and services.

Where possible, changes have been incorporated to align with the draft NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi Regional Public Transport guidelines, but further changes may be required.

We are exploring ways to improve access, supporting more people to use public transport more often. We’ve heard that some of you would like to bring your pets on public transport, and we’re keen to support this in a way that is amenable to other customers.

Pets on public transport

In other cities in Aotearoa, and around the world, passengers are allowed to travel with pets on public transport. We want to understand how this could work in Canterbury and how people might benefit from this. Allowing passengers to travel with pets would support pet owners who don’t own a car or suitable transport for trips to the vet, or for work or leisure. We want to give more people access to the network. We are proposing a new policy that would allow passengers to bring their pets on Metro services. We want to hear your thoughts on what conditions might make this workable for you.

Support for pets on public transport

We’ve already engaged with our Accessibility and Public Transport Reference Groups, and other special interest groups. This has helped gauge the level of community support for allowing passengers to travel with their pets, and for us to understand any concerns and how we can address them. We have also gathered information from other councils in New Zealand that have successfully allowed passengers to travel with their pets on public transport. This has shaped our proposed approach for allowing passengers to travel with their pets. We are proposing some conditions that we think will make this work in a way that suits most travellers, but we want to hear what you think.

We are proposing the following policy: Passengers are permitted to travel with domestic pets on public transport with appropriate controls in place, as identified in the Metro Code of Conduct.

Proposed conditions of carriage

By law, licensed disability assistance dogs can be brought on public transport at any time, so our questions don’t relate to these animals. Any conditions for travelling with pets would prioritise the needs of passengers with a licensed disability assistance dog to maintain accessibility of the public transport network. In this instance, we’ve defined pets as “tame domestic pets that live inside your home”. We also heard that it was important that priority seating areas remain restricted for passengers with mobility aids, assistance animals and for parents with pushchairs.

How could pets on public transport work?

We think that it makes sense to start slowly, and we want to know if you support the following proposed conditions that have been successful in other cities:

• Pets in approved carriers
• Off peak travel only
• Limit one pet per adult.

We also want to understand your views on other conditions of carriage we could bring in later. Would you be comfortable with leashed and muzzled dogs on public transport?

As the rules for pets on public transport will be included in our Metro Code of Conduct, they can be reviewed and updated based on community feedback on a regular basis. Your feedback will help us take the best approach.

Public Transport Futures (PT Futures)/ Ngā Waka Tūmatanui Wāheke is our planned investment programme that sets out improvements to service frequency, routes and connections. It aims to enhance customer journeys by reducing travel times and increasing reliability.

PT Futures was developed by the Greater Christchurch Partnership, a coalition of local government, mana whenua and government agencies working collaboratively for better public transport.

PT Futures makes commitments to continually improve public transport. Some improvements have already happened, and some will take more time, depending on funding. The funding of public transport is a collaborative effort between NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, the district and city councils (who fund the infrastructure) and Environment Canterbury.

Public transport users also contribute through the payment of fares.

Planned improvements for Greater Christchurch

Short-term focus (next 5 years):

• Improvements to frequent services
• Improvements to ticketing systems through Motu Move
• More frequent and direct secondary routes
• Better direct connections from Waimakariri and Selwyn
• Optimising our existing network (infrastructure and services), improving reliability.

Medium-term focus (5-10 years):

• Branch extensions to frequent services in outer areas
• More direct secondary routes
• Bus priority measures in Christchurch
• Further improvements to Waimakariri and Selwyn services
• Improved Park and Ride facilities in Selwyn and Waimakariri.

Long-term focus (10-30 years):

• Mass Rapid Transit: high frequency and high-capacity service on a dedicated corridor.