Consulting on a ten-year plan for public transport in Canterbury
We're working on a revised plan for our region’s public transport network, and want the community to have their say.
The refreshed plan (PDF file, 9.17MB) contains a proposed new vision for public transport in Canterbury and outlines key priority areas such as:
- improving our environment,
- growing patronage,
- accessibility,
- innovation and technology,
- and affordability.
Public consultation opened on Wednesday 25 September and will run until 5pm on Thursday 24 October 2024. Have your say at ecan.govt.nz/pt4me.
Refreshed vision for public transport
“Public transport takes many forms with communities across our region,” said Chair Peter Scott.
“With limited funding available, we need to ensure we make the best decisions to deliver a public transport network that is integrated with urban development, innovative, and meets the needs of new and existing customers,” he added.
“Effective public transport is the lifeline that connects us to work, school, recreation and our friends and family, so it’s important we get this right – we want to hear from you,” Chair Scott added.
We know that Canterbury is growing. By 2050, 700,000 people are projected to live in Greater Christchurch, and a fit-for-purpose transport network will become even more important.
The plan covers public transport for the region which includes services such as Metro, MyWay by Metro in Timaru, Total Mobility and Community Vehicle Trusts. It was developed in partnership with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and the local councils who provide city and town planning, alongside the infrastructure required to deliver these services.
Pets on public transport
Within the revised plan is a proposal for a new policy that would allow people to travel with domestic pets. In other cities in Aotearoa New Zealand trials of pets on public transport have been successful, with no issues and few complaints.
“We’re keen to understand what controls are needed for our customers in Greater Christchurch and Timaru to be comfortable with pets on public transport,” Councillor Joe Davies said.
Conditions being proposed would allow adult passengers to bring a single pet on board, as long it is in an approved carrier at off-peak times (weekdays 9am-3pm and after 6pm, all-day weekends).
“We want to gauge how people feel about this proposal and also how they would feel about potentially lessening those restrictions in future to allow for leashed and muzzled dogs or increasing the limit to two pets per passenger,” he added.