Councillor concerned over ECan’s public transport plans

The Team Reporter from The Press

From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:

News that Ashburton could end up part-funding Environment Canterbury’s public bus transport fares is concerning the organisation’s Mid Canterbury councillor.

Ian Mackenzie thinks the possibility of contributing to the annual funding of ECan’s generous public bus subsidies across Canterbury would result in zero benefits for the Ashburton District.

Ashburton has no public transport, other than an on-demand community connector bus run by volunteers to and from rural locations to the township.

ECan hopes to establish a Climate Change Action levy where all ratepayers would contribute.

One of ECan’s climate change action focuses is to get more people using public buses rather than their own vehicles.

Mackenzie is not convinced it is the right model and is concerned the climate change levy would be used to have the entire region subsidising public transport.

“That threat of charging for public transport, because of climate change across the whole region, sits within the climate change levy," Mackenzie said.

“That needs to be opposed, unless it’s specifically targeted for actions we can do, which will genuinely protect our community from climate change. That might be better flood protection.”

With the impacts of Covid still playing out, and many people still uncomfortable about using public transport while the virus was still rampant, Mackenzie said bus patronage was only about 70% of what it was pre-the pandemic.

“ECan has gone ahead and pumped several million dollars into buses, which I’m not sure is the right timing,” he said.

“We should have waited for Covid to finish, and it’s nowhere near finished yet, and then analyse what permanent changes are to the way people behave.”

He said there were a “whole lot of things we are yet to understand" but ECan was still insistent on “pouring money into buses as if it's business as usual".

ECan’s annual pricing plan would introduce a $2 flat fare across Greater Christchurch for metrocard holders, including areas like Lincoln in Selwyn or Rangiora in Waimakariri. The fare is $1 for tertiary students, under-25s, and total mobility and community service cardholders.

Mackenzie was also concerned that people in outlying towns were simply subsidising parents who opted to send their children into Christchurch for school.

“I’m not convinced that is something ratepayers should be asked to do,” he said.