Otago Polytechnic Students’ Assoc.
Media Release
for immediate release Wednesday, Thursday, 24 May 2007
Attn: Local Body, Education & Environmental Reporters
Dunedin Free Bus Service
Today OPSA presented its case-study for a fare-free citywide bus service at DCC and ORC draft annual plan hearings.
“OPSA sees effective public transport as a key to keeping Dunedin a healthy and vibrant city, and a solution to parking
and congestion problems. The convenience of simply being able to hop-on and hop-off buses wherever and whenever you
liked without a pocket full of coins would make bus usage far more desirable.” said OPSA president, Richard Mitchell.
As long as the cost of public transport is anything close to private transport, users are always going opt for the
vastly greater flexibility of private transport. While more suitable routes and timetables are always needed, fares are
one dimension to bus usage than could be addressed immediately.
In the North Island Horizons District Council found making it bus service free around its congested campus area
increased usage by over 100%. This is supported overseas by other cities that have free bus services; especially in the
US where many tertiary institutions and local authorities arrange free buses for students.
A free bus service is affordable. There are a number of ways it could be charged, but if distributed over DCC/ORC rates
OPSA calculates it would mean totally free bus transport to all residents for the cost of less than $2 per week per
household - about half the price of a new stadium - and an amenity that would be used every day by many more residents.
The DFBS discussion-paper can be obtained from OPSA, or can be downloaded as a Word document from
www.opsa.org.nz/downloads/FREE_BUS.doc
ENDS