9.4 - Passenger transport achievement reports

Passenger transport

From each regional authority that administers passenger transport operations within its region, Land Transport NZ requires a return showing the passenger transport measures set out in this section. The return shall be submitted via LTP online.

The regions are very different from each other in physical, economic, social and environmental terms. Differences include land area, geography, geology, local economic base, population, transport infrastructure, climate etc. Most of the differences actually manifest themselves in the various measures that are requested (accessibility and quality, use, affordability and user satisfaction). However a little extra information is required to ensure a complete understanding of the performance of the public transport system in the region.

Key date

Approved organisations shall ensure that the passenger transport achievement return is submitted in LTP online by no later than 31 July.

Passenger transport achievement returns

A passenger transport achievement return needs to be completed for each mode type and also for total mobility.

Bus operations

From each approved organisation that administers a bus operation, information is required on the following activities for the 12 months to 30 June, in LTP online:

• passenger boardings (contracted, commercial and contracted school)
• passenger kilometres (contracted, commercial and contracted school)
• financial information (fares received on contracted general and school services)
• community/ population (population of the region or target community and the amount of the target community within 500 m of the bus route)
• service/ operation provided (service type, headway, capacity, access to the service, access to the vehicle, age of bus fleet, environment and fares)
• passenger survey results (overall service rating, service value for money, availability, time, frequency, reliability, personal security, vehicle quality/comfort and reasons for using service).

Ferry operations

From each approved organisation that administers a ferry operation, information is required on the following activities for the 12 months to 30 June, in LTP online:

• passenger boardings (contracted and commercial)
• passenger kilometres (contracted and commercial)
• financial information (fares received on contracted general services)
• service/ operation provided (service type, access to the service, environment and fares)
• passenger survey results (overall service rating, service value for money, availability, time, frequency, reliability, personal security, vessel quality/ comfort, reasons for using service).

Rail operations

From each approved organisation that administers a rail operation information is required on the following activities for the 12 months to 30 June, in LTP online:

• passenger boardings (contracted)
• passenger kilometres (contracted)
• financial information (fares received on contracted general services)
• service/ operation provided (headway, access to the service, environment and fares)
• passenger survey results (overall service rating, service value for money, availability, time, frequency, reliability, personal security, carriage quality/comfort, reasons for using service).

Total mobility operations

From each approved organisation that administers a total mobility operation information is required on the following activities for the 12 months to 30 June, in LTP online:

• passenger trips
• financial information (subsidised fares received by operator for total mobility trips)
• community/ population (number of persons registered in the scheme and date that registered services was updated)
• service/ operation provided (wheelchair van access, total mobility fares)
• passenger survey results (overall service rating, service value for money, availability, reliability, personal security, vehicle accessibility and vehicle quality/ comfort).

Definitions for passenger transport measures

The following definitions apply for reporting on passenger transport performance measures.

Context

Context captures regional population to give a more complete understanding of the performance of the public transport system in the region.

Target community

State the community for which the information is provided.

For example, in the Wellington region the Greater Wellington Regional Council would provide separate returns for bus services in Wellington City, the Hutt Valley, Kapiti coast and Wairarapa.

Target population

This is the population at which the service has been targeted.

For example, a train service is provided between the Wairarapa and Wellington. The target population includes both the urban and the rural population of the Wairarapa. It does not include the population of Wellington or the population of the Hutt Valley (through which the service runs, but which was not the ‘target’ of the service).

Area serviced or population serviced

Area serviced is the % of the area that is within 500 m of the bus route(s) within the target area.

Population serviced is the % of the population that is within 500 m of the bus route(s) within the target area.

The 500 m is measured as perpendicular to the route.

The area method simply requires a visual assessment of the percent area, using a marked plan or map. Only the urban area should be included since the method assumes that population density is uniform throughout the target community area.

Commercial services

Councils use/allow/encourage commercial services to a greater or lesser extent. Provide a statement of council’s policy with regards commercial and non-commercial services.

Frequency of service

Headway is the time between consecutive departures of the service. Other terms used include time interval and frequency.

Only specified or target headway is required, which will come from the public passenger transport plan and/or the service contract for the target community. This provides an indication of the nature of the population served – are they primarily commuters or are there other demands on the service.

Information about evening, night and weekend services has not been specifically requested. Demand for these services or for changes to these services should be apparent from the user surveys.

Where different services are provided (eg, Kapiti and Hutt Valley, urban and rural) then provide the information for each separately.

Access to the service

Provide a statement of the wheel-chair access policy and indicate whether that policy has been implemented. This gives an indication of accessibility to people who are mobility impaired.

Capacity of the service

Capacity gives an indication of the likelihood that passengers will need to stand during peak periods and the amount of excess capacity there will be at other times.

Access to the vehicle

The super-low floor bus policy gives an indication of accessibility to people who are mobility impaired but who are not necessarily using a wheelchair.

Age of vehicle

Age is used as an indicator of the fuel use and the exhaust emissions of the buses – that is of their probable environmental impacts.

Passenger boardings

Boardings are one measure of use of passenger transport.

Passenger kilometres

Passenger kilometres-travelled is an alternative measure of passenger transport use.

Affordability

The fare is one of the criteria that patrons use in making the decision to use public passenger transport. Provide a copy of the currently implemented fare policy.

User satisfaction

User satisfaction with the service can only be gauged by survey. A survey of user satisfaction is required at least annually although it can be carried out more frequently, at the discretion of the approved organisation.

Questions

All the questions listed in the work sheets need to be answered by all regional authorities for the public passenger transport services that they provide. These questions are considered to be the minimum required to provide assurance about contribution to the objectives of the LTMA, to be of value to councils and to provide a sufficient overview of success to the Minister of Transport and to Land Transport NZ. They do not unduly probe into the details of the running of the public passenger transport system itself. Many, if not all, of these questions are being asked by regional authorities already to help them understand the requirements of their patrons.

Number of people surveyed

Sufficient passengers need to be surveyed to ensure statistical significance, which is best determined by the regional authority in the context of the complexity of its service, etc.