Infratil, who own NZ Bus and Snapper, have just released their monthly business report and while much of the commentary refers to their Wellington operations here are some interesting bits from it. (note the report also contains info on their other investments, the NZ Bus stuff is near the bottom of the page)
Progress continues with the development of the new public transport contracting model. The importance of this is evident given that slightly over 40% of NZ Bus’ patronage income is derived from contract payments received from regional transport agencies for providing services. The slow progress on the review of the public transport operating model (PTOM) is generally resulting in difficulties for operators and regional transport agencies. As Greater Wellington Regional Council has noted, once the PTOM is finalised legislative changes may be required which will probably take until 2012
This indicates that we could still see changes to the PTMA which is concerning and I imagine that Infratil are still lobbing hard to get changes that will benefit them, especially as more and more of their income is likely to come from councils if they start putting in gross contracts (which they should be doing).
Skipping past some of the Wellington info we only get a brief statement about Auckland that it is continuing to performing well followed by a table showing patronage numbers for December compared to 2009.
Its good to see some decent growth here although we will obviously need a lot more to help reach the 150 million trips that Len Brown is wanting by 2021
Following the NZ Bus stuff we have a bit of info about Snapper
Following December’s agreement with NZ Bus and Auckland Transport (the transport agency of Auckland Council) to progress installation of Snapper on the NZ Bus Auckland fleet, work has commenced at pace.
Preparation is well advanced on bus fleets of North Star, Waka Pacific, Go West and Metrolink and Snapper is engaged with Auckland Transport to ensure coordination between both party’s customer service teams. Snapper will be available in April 2011, with installation completed by July 2011.
In Auckland over 80 shops now signed to accept Snapper for payment and to provide reload services. The objective of having Snapper available for use on major national branded outlets is also progressing.
Coincidentally Auckland Transport is developing a similar ticketing system with the French company Thales and the NZ Transport Agency is leading a project to develop national standards for integrated ticketing.
So it looks like April will be the go live month however the thing that concerns me is the last sentence as it indicates that Snapper is a stand alone system that won’t necessarily be integrated and might actually be in direct competition to the the rest of the system which would be a disaster.
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Glad to hear of Snapper’s rollout in Auckland as soon as April. Interesting to note that Snapper’s current retail uses in Auckland are listed as Wellington-based Mojo and Caltex’s Fix on their site. Did Greenstone Energy buy out the former Starmarts or what?
http://www.snapper.co.nz/snapper-retailers-auckland-city/
“Co-incidentally”
LOL! Understatement?
The thing is, Infratil on their website state how they believe in the free market and competitively tendering for contracts however if it wasn’t for them we would have had integrated ticketing done a few years ago. They lost the tender, complained about it, went to court and even lobbied government all to try and overturn the result delaying the project. Now it looks like they have finally got someone to buckle and give in to their demands and are about to set PT in the city up for more fragmentation and failure.
Methinks next time contracts come around, make it a condition of service that they give up their ticketing and come under the integrated system.
In the end it is better for everyone.
Though the problem is then that the integrated ticket may not be accepted on commercial services – which have very minimal regulation. The 2008 Public Transport Management Act was meant to fix this mess, but Infratil have spent the last two and a bit years trying to destroy that legislation and have found themselves a sympathetic ear in Minister Joyce.
What an awful setup. Privatise the profits, socialise the losses.
I find it somewhat amusing that we need to get patronage information from Infratil’s monthly update.
Come on Auckland Transport, where’s your October, November, December 2010 patronage data?
I was thinking the same thing, unfortunately its not even all of the bus patronage so we can’t even really use it to compare to the rest of the data you put together last month.
We have quarterly and yearly reports with all this data. Surprised to hear Auckland Transport doesn’t monitor and release this information
The problem is we used to have it monthly from ARTA but since November when we had all of the council changes and they were rolled into AT we haven’t heard anything
I’m sure Ive read somewhere a confirmation that the two systems will be inter-compatible. A bit upset to see that Snappers roll-out has been delayed again- it was originally mid 2010, then ‘early in first quarter 2011’, then March 2011, now April 2011.
Update from the Capital of Fools: read page 6 point 4 Greater Wellington Region Transport Access Committee report
http://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/council-reports/Report_PDFs/2009_652_1_Report.pdf
NZBus/GoWellington sneakely withdrew all 10 trip cards for adults and children then started phasing out monthly bus passes to introduce/force the Snapper Card on the unsuspecting public. School bus passes received the same roll over here we come approach and 3 major colleges: Rongotai, Queen Margaret and Wellington High now sport a “feed your snapper” facility. Once achieved the bus fares went up and in some cases 100%!
Infratil also got the tender for the Total Mobility Scheme forcing Wellington Taxis’ to install eftpost at their own expense to cater for the Total Mobilty Snapper clients all in time for the Rugby World Cup.
http://www.wellingtonnz2011.com/visiting-fans/getting-here-around
Snapper has a purchase price of $ 10 and constitutes an indirect investment in the company, once registered online it also serves as a tracking devise using GPS as was shown in Hong Kong recently and how they pick up people travelling on the networks.
Greenstone Energy is the new word for Shell NEW ZEALAND purchased by Infratil recently to up the retail value of the Snapper card and cash in on bus patrons put off by the increased bus fares jumping back into their cars.
The City is Ours at your service.
Oh yeah, you’re the people who tried smashing up Manners Street with a sledgehammer, right?
And who presented the least coherent and worst presented case the Environment Court had ever seen, according to the judge as he tossed the case out of court.
The Manners St bus changes were a neat improvement to public transport that smoothed out the cross city bus route. It’s an example of the sort of pragmatic improvement that Auckland and other cities should be emulating.
Ah No, that was not us however we do support the action as the Victoria/Manners Street Intersection is still chaotic at peak-times with many near misses witnessed daily. Wellington City Council failed to apply both the WCC 2008 Walking & Cycling Policy to the Golden Mile Improvements despite their DM (demand management) status meaning public safety was and still has not been addressed. Our main concern is now with the up and coming Rugby World Cup and Wellington being compact with narrow streets and sub-standard footpath widths according to their own and NZTA guidelines and standards.
The City is Ours at your service.
The City is Ours has launched a new E-petition on the WCC Website – expiry date 4th of August 2011.
“Demand the 2008 Walking and Cycling Policy apply to all WCC roading projects at the planning stages”
http://www.wellington.govt.nz/haveyoursay/e-petitions/ep/details/156
Please sign and circulate amongst your networks,
The City is Ours at your service.
This blog isn’t a place to advertise your causes. Future similar posts will be deleted.
You are lucky, the Auckland City Council is progressing towards pedestrianizing Queen Street. Infratil in fact suggested the demise of Manners Mall way back in 2008, for a gate-way to the Airport which they also own.
We are not convinced the bus service has sped up after the introduction of the 30km speed limit, and the inability for buses to overtake one another as was previously the case.
Manners Mall after all was compensation for the destruction of 50 hectares of land and buildings in Thorndon to progress the Urban Motorway, but more so for the bi-secting of the Bolton Street Cemetery requirening the desecration of 3.700 graves, and when residents cried faul. Some of the graves were Wellington’s first pioneers.
The City under Michael Fowler and the Government under Robert Muldoon struck a deal and compensated Wellingtonians with pleasant environmental shopping malls which gave the City a Heart when Manners Mall was opened in 1978. The history of Manners Mall was part of the proceedings in the Environment Court which ran for 4 days, ultimatly ruling in favour of the Council. The City is Ours simply carried the torch to protect our compensation with 74% of the 722 submissions to council saying no to destroying the mall including these guys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6f5rfuVzrI
Manners Mall is registered in the District Plan 48 as open space with sunlight protection. Population counts exploded in Te Aro in the Central City by 74.6% in the last decade because of the new housing trends. Demands on the pedestrian netowrks changed drastically reason why 40.000 people use Manners Mall daily. According to the Central City Apartment Dwellers Survey 74% walk to work and/or study daily making Wellington famous for its walkability.
ADMIN: Feel free to delete the “advertising” our concern is merely with public safety the reason why it went up.
The City is Ours at your service.
“The history of Manners Mall was part of the proceedings in the Environment Court which ran for 4 days, ultimatly ruling in favour of the Council.”
Which, translated, means:
“The court said it made allowances for lay people presenting a case but The City Is Ours case was the most shambolic it had seen. “We have to record that we were faced with preparation and presentation on the part of the society which was chaotic and ill-directed to a degree not previously encountered by any member of the court. That this might prove to be so became apparent during the course of some largely incomprehensible pre-hearing … applications lodged by the society’s representative.” ”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/national-news/3765358/Shambolic-mall-group-ordered-to-pay-43-000
Checking the City Is Ours web site shows more incomprehensible material. Such as a submission to Wellington City Council by one of your members:
“Manners Mall was opened by Prime Minister Robert Muldoon, who arrived in an enclosed sedan chair, carried by four costumed footmen. His historic opening ceremony officially atoned the motorway’s destruction in victorian Thorndon that included Bolton Street Cemetery’s Pioneer Wellingtonians’ graves. Manners Mall is transfered sacred ground. It is a traditional sacred site.”
Or this advocacy:
“Manners Mall is as vital to the health of Wellington City as its water, gas and electricity supply, plus its disposal of sewage properly. Why?
(1) It has a planned peace square, by a Mall advocate, Richard Tingey, to be called Piazza Mannersa Pax Wellingtonia, as described down the page.
(2) It curbs youth suicide by being a place of solace, as well as reawakening, from friendly contact with others.
(3) It’s the spirit of Sir Robert Muldoon, who was the people’s person, outside politics.
(4) It’s a living memorial to how walking the City wins over busing it.
(5) Manners Mall is a city meeting place or Marae in respect for the disturbed graves of Maori buried at the Bolton Street Cemetery, owing to a motorway cutting, confirmed by 1978 officially submitted Wellington Architectural Centre attitude. Young people from rural areas can meet as a family in the Mall.
(6) It’s likewise, for all the exactly 3700 disturbed graves at Bolton Street Cemetery.
(7) It’s where Wellington’s greatest computer based rejection of a City Council plan is centred.
(8) It’s where walkers constantly prove superiority over buses for health and community spirit.
(9) It’s a total benefit to human civilization that’s at risk of nuclear war and global warming based extinction. where a landmark, reasoned, people’s power campaign over Mall closure, is winning over Wellington City Council’s doomed, obscure presentation.
(10) It’s a treasured, well proven, Grandmothers for Peace, friendly dialogue area. ”
Sorry to clog up your comments board, Admin. But this is the funniest stuff I’ve read in a long time and I wanted to share.
Wellington was lucky in that case. When Auckland had 58 hectares (!) of houses, green spaces and cemetery demolished to build the Central Motorway Junction it got nothing… and still has nothing but a bloody great impassible ‘death strip’ walling off it’s CBD.
By the way, I think your figure of 50 hectares is a bit of an over estimate, the motorway corridor occupies around 15 hectares from the rail yards to the terrace tunnel. 50 hectares is about the size of all of Thordon between the motorway and the port.
Have a go here to see what I mean: http://www.acme.com/planimeter/
At the press conference before Christmas, CEO Bruce Emson announced March this year, so its slipping already. I’m still really concerned that we will end up with Snapper for NZ Bus and a Thales card for trains, despite assurances at the press conference that there would be only one card. Betcha.
… and if I was an Infratil shareholder, I’d want to know if Snapper actually makes a profit yet. Infratil don’t report Snapper performance in their reports.
Letter to ARTA/Viola/Maxx/ARC and Len Brown
I am writing to complain about the unfair monthly pass prices.
I would like to use the train for going to and from work five days per week. My journey would be from Waitakere to Britomart a fairly straight forward commute. I don’t need the train for anything else, niether do I need the train to go anywhere else.
However the most affordable monthly pass price option that you have to offer is the following ($ 170.00 for Unlimited train travel between Papakura and Waitakere. Includes bus travel within the Inner City Zone on Waka Pacific, North Star, GO WEST and Metrolink EXCLUDING LINK, Ritchies, Urban Express, Howick and Eastern, Birkenhead Transport and Airbus services.)
If I used this option I like many fellow commuters ( possibly 1000’s)would be paying for something I don’t want or require.
Now I can’t believe that I am the only person that has realised this, niether am I prepared to believe that no one has ever raised this before, finally whoever designed this system obviously knew what they were doing, ie. the current monthly pass system inflates the statistics for number of train journeys per month etc. It would not surprise me if this inflated figures were then used to justify further price rises in the future. Please sort this out.
I am however more than willing to pay for a monthly pass that gets me from Waitakere to Britomart. I don’t wish to use the current product as I and thousands of others have come to realise that it was designed to rip us off.
I
I think you are completely wide of the mark on this one. From some stations the monthly pass is great value and my wife and I who catch the train from Sturges Rd to Britomart daily both use them.
In your case a standard trip from Waitakere to Britomart is 6 stages which costs $6.70 and a 10 trip pass is $60.30. In a normal month there are usually 20-23 working days, if we assume that you will take two trips per day, one to work and one home and use the lower end figure of 20 days that equates to 40 trips per month. To pay the single trip price you would be paying $268 per month for travel, with a 10 trip pass it would be $241.2 per month. That means that even off the next cheapest option you would be saving just under 30% and off the single ticket price you are saving over 36%. To look at it another way if you only took 40 journeys per month you would be paying only $4.25 per trip or $8.50 per day.
The fact that the pass includes travel anywhere on the rail network to Papakura is a bonus, as is the free city bus allowance which is something I suspect most people don’t know about. It is also incredibly useful in the sense that you can get on and off at places without incurring an extra charge e.g. if you decided you wanted to go to Newmarket after work to pick something up, you could jump on the train, go and do what you wanted to at Newmarket then jump back on another train for no charge. With every other ticketing option out there at the moment you would have to pay a one stage trip to Newmarket then another fare out to Waitakere.
Lastly I also find that monthly passes mean I am more keen to use the train. If know that I can just turn up and go somewhere knowing that the travel is effectively free as it isn’t going to cost me any more for that month.