Page 21 - Demo

APART FROM THE VOICED CONCERNS ABOUT THE BLUE LIGHTS AND THE NEW SYSTEM, HOW DO YOU THINK THE NEW FLEET IS OPERATING AND HOW DO YOU THINK THE PUBLIC ARE FINDING IT? IS THE INTRODUCTION OF AN ELECTRIC FLEET GOING TO PLAN?
We have had positive feedback about the new buses and the double- deckers are proving popular. We have ve of the initial 10 electric double-deckers in service, with the rest to follow shortly and we are happy with how that is rolling out.
WITH THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT TALKING OF POSSIBLE CHANGES TO PTOM, HOW WOULD THE GWRC LIKE TO SEE THE TENDERING SYSTEM CHANGE?
We will wait to see what the Minister proposes, but having just completed the PTOM process for our bus and rail services, we have contracts in place for the next nine years plus.
THE PREFERRED OPTION OF A BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM ON WELLINGTON’S SPINE CORRIDOR SEEMS TO BE PERMANENTLY ON HOLD. IS ANYTHING IN THE PIPELINE ON THIS FRONT?
Yes, we are working with Wellington City Council and NZTA on the ‘Let’s Get Wellington Moving Project’, which will set out the plans for mass transit within the city. Light rail may be part of this wider plan.
HOW IMPORTANT IS A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN WELLINGTON?
It is important to have the best possible relationship with all of our key stakeholders, such as Wellington City Council. It is in all of our best interests to have public transport operating to the highest pos- sible standard, and we all have a role to play in helping to make that happen.
HOW IMPORTANT IS A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH OPERATORS? ARE THERE THINGS THAT BOTH PARTIES CAN DO TO IMPROVE THE RELATIONSHIP?
Clearly it’s critical that there is a good relationship with operators. We need to work together in partnership to provide the best pos- sible service for our customers. No rocket science here, but we need to be open and honest, keep each other informed, agree what suc- cess looks like, and make the relationship work for both parties.
DO YOU HAVE ANY VIEWS ON CREATING AN ORGANISATION WITH A ROLE SOLELY AND APOLITICALLY CENTRED ON TRANSPORT SIMILAR TO AUCKLAND TRANSPORT?
No!
YOUR PLAN IS FOR INTEGRATED TICKETING TO BE INTRODUCED IN WELLINGTON IN 2021; IS THIS GOING TO SCHEDULE AND WHAT WILL THIS SYSTEM MEAN FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN WELLINGTON?
Yes, we are working with nearly all of the other public transport authorities and NZTA to introduce an open-loop, account based ticketing system for New Zealand, with the rst deployment in Wellington. e project is on schedule and will deliver for the rst time a fully integrated ticketing system and enable us to implement our fare policies (e.g. fare capping). It will improve the customer experience for everyone using public transport in Wellington, be they regular commuters or visitors. e rst stage of this major, national procurement is well underway, with responses due to close in the next week (as of 17/8/18).
Wayne Hastie
FINALLY, HOW IS THE WELLINGTON PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM GOING TO LOOK IN FIVE YEARS?
Wellington has long been recognised as having an excellent public transport system and the current di culties are obviously putting a temporary dent in that reputation. While there is always discomfort and disruption from a change of this scale and complexity, we are aiming to lay the groundwork for an internationally-recognised, modern, t-for-purpose public transport system that is able to adapt to and cater for the expected growth in demand throughout the Wellington region for the foreseeable future.
SYSTEM CHANGES ANNOUNCED
Since this interview with Wayne Hastie, the GWRC has revealed that planners of Wellington’s new routes failed to factor in the capital’s winding streets or the extra time double-deckers took to load.
Daran Ponter, Deputy Chairman of the GWRC’s Sustainable Transport Committee, has acknowledged that unreliable Real Time Information had caused huge frustration and anger for commuters.
Despite many technical tweaks, operator training and re-wiring of some buses, it was still “far from ideal” and C∆ouncillors had asked for further work to improve reliability.
e double-decker dwell times – the amount of time a bus is at a bus stop – were also a ecting timetables.
Out-of-town environmental and transport consultancy, MR Cagney, designed the initial concept for Wellington’s new public transport network.
Its consultants did an on-site review of the city during 2011 and 2012, which was adopted by the GWRC. It then went out for public consultation in 2012-2014 – shaping the current system. GWRC Councillors have asked for up to four more additional buses per hour on routes serving Karori, Northland, Kelburn, Newtown, Mt Cook, Vogeltown, Mornington and Haitaitai in peak periods. Metlink is also working with operators to reduce the number of cancelled services on the routes.
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