A proposed new ticketing system for Hawke’s Bay is planned to be rolled out at the same time as flat fees are trialled.

Councillors today agreed to implement the tag on-tag off ‘Bee Card’ system and begin the trial of flat fees in August.

The flat fee trial would see one-zone trips cost $1, and two-zone fares cost $2 when using a Bee Card. The trial is dependent on the NZ Transport Agency agreeing to fund some of the cost.

“These are big reductions in fares and it’s great to see the Regional Council‘s support for more people getting onto our goBay buses,” says Hawke’s Bay Regional Councillor and Regional Transport Committee Chair Martin Williams.

“We know more people use public transport when fares are cheaper, so we hope the new Bee Card system and simpler, flat-fare structure will herald the beginning of a ‘step change’ in public transport use in the Region.

“This is the first stage in a wider review of public transport options as part of the current Regional Transport Study. The hope is that options for more diverse, ‘on demand’ services complementing the existing core bus routes will become available following this review, and with Council support in future.

“In the meantime, once we confirm the specific date, we’ll let passengers know when they need to switch to the new Bee card and how they can do it,” adds Mr Williams.

The Bee Card is an integrated ticketing system that eight other regions are moving to and means card holders can use their Bee Card across these regions.

The Bee Card will also give the Regional Council important data – not currently available – on passenger use, hot spots along the routes, and fare collection, which will help to inform future network planning.

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