Ch 4 Concessionary fare scheme guidelines
- Ch 4 Concessionary fare scheme guidelines
- Guideline 4.1 - Definition of concessionary fares
- Guideline 4.2 - Legislative requirement
- Guideline 4.3 - Groups eligible for concessionary fares
- Guideline 4.4 - Process for agreement
- Guideline 4.5 - Parties involved
- Guideline 4.6 - Amount of concession
- Guideline 4.7 - People with disabilities
- Guideline 4.8 - Wheelchair hoists
- Guideline 4.9 - Approval prior to implementation
- Guideline 4.10 - Documentation
- Guideline 4.11 - Participation by operators
Ch 4 Concessionary fare scheme guidelines
In the case of concessionary fare payments, tendering is sometimes not practical. For instance, where the tendering authority wishes to offer fare subsidies for certain groups of people when they use commercial services, tendering is of limited use. That tendering authority is likely to want the concessions to be available on vehicles of all operators on any particular route.
The concept of a meeting to negotiate details of Concessionary Fare Schemes (CFSs) for each region was devised to provide the maximum possible flexibility to tendering authorities, but still ensure an efficient, competitive outcome as required by the Act. This result will be achieved due to the "constructive tension" between the different participants. Users will seek to maximise the funds available for concession fares and the amount of individual concessions. Operators will seek a system which imposes the minimum possible administrative costs. Finally tendering authorities will wish to contain the overall costs of concessionary fare schemes, and maximise the benefits for a given cost.
A formal committee is not needed to achieve this result. The important features are that there be a meeting, or meetings, and that users, operators, and the tendering authority be equally represented. It is the negotiation that takes place in this situation of "constructive tension" that constitutes the competitive pricing procedure (CPP), and which is expected to achieve the desired efficient outcome.
Under this system, if a tendering authority wishes to change a detail of the scheme it simply needs to convene a further CFS meeting to agree the detail changes.
An alternative to the meeting available to regional councils is that the constructive tension implicit in deriving the Regional Passenger Transport Plan is utilised to formulate the CFS. If this process is to be used by a regional council then the same groups (users, operators and the regional councils) must be involved in negotiations surrounding any decisions on the CFS
