Public transport services and infrastructure

This page relates to the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme.

Introduction

This page describes the public transport services and infrastructure activity classes and provides links to public transport continuous programmes and improvements requirements, work category definitions and information, and prioritisation of public transport continuous programmes and improvements.

There are two public transport activity classes. The Government Policy Statement on land transport (GPS) 2024 defines them as follows:

• Public transport services:
  Investment in the operation and maintenance of existing public transport networks, to improve utilisation and/or maintain existing levels of service, and in new public transport services to improve the level of service and support an increase in uptake of public transport.

• Public transport infrastructure:
  Investment in maintenance, renewal of, or improvements to existing public transport infrastructure to improve utilisation, and in new public transport infrastructure to improve the level of service and support an increase in the uptake of public transport.

Government Policy Statement on land transport 2024(external link)

Public transport activities across both activity classes are grouped as:

• public transport continuous programmes – covering passenger services, operations and maintenance and asset and infrastructure renewals
  Public transport continuous programmes

• public transport improvements – covering passenger service improvements, operational improvements and asset and infrastructure improvements.
  Public transport improvements

Note: public transport activities that are eligible for Crown fare concessions are managed separately by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) using processes and procedures agreed separately with the Ministry of Transport.

Government expectations

We (NZTA as investor) expect that investments from the public transport services and infrastructure activity classes will contribute to results sought by the government.

Government expectations by activity class (webpage yet to come)

Qualifying for National Land Transport Programme consideration

To qualify for inclusion in the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) and subsequent funding approval:

• Any proposed activity is eligible by meeting the definition of the public transport activity classes in the GPS and the appropriate work category definition in this knowledge base.
• All regionally delivered public transport activities proposed for inclusion in the NLTP must be included in a regional land transport plan (RLTP).
• Approved organisations and NZTA (for its own activities) must comply with the NZTA Procurement manual and procurement rules, as well as any relevant standards and guidelines listed in the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency standards and guidelines register for land transport.

Procurement manual

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency standards and guidelines register for land transport

Public transport work categories

Public transport activities described in the following work categories are eligible for inclusion:

• public transport services:
  • Work category 421: travel demand management and behaviour change
  • Work category 511: passenger services – bus
  • Work category 512: passenger services – ferry
  • Work category 515: passenger services – rail
  • Work category 517: Total Mobility operations
  • Work category 519: wheelchair hoists purchase and installation
  • Work category 521: Total Mobility wheelchair hoist use payments
  • Work category 522: SuperGold trip payments
  • Work category 524: public transport operations and management
  • Work category 525: public transport technology systems - operations and maintenance
• public transport infrastructure:
  • Work category 514: public transport facilities and infrastructure – operations and maintenance
  • Work category 532: low-cost, low-risk public transport improvements
  • Work category 534: public transport facilities and infrastructure – renewals
  • Work category 540: rapid transit infrastructure
  • Work category 554: public transport technology systems – improvements
  • Work category 561: passenger facilities and infrastructure improvements - bus
  • Work category 562: passenger facilities and infrastructure improvements - ferry
  • Work category 563: passenger facilities and infrastructure improvements - rail

Supporting information required

Approved organisations and NZTA (for its own activities) need to provide evidence to support any Transport Investment Online (TIO) application seeking inclusion of activities in the NLTP or for subsequent funding approval. This evidence should demonstrate that the proposal will provide an effective solution.

Transport Investment Online(external link)

The following supporting information for public transport activities must be provided and referenced in the TIO application:

• the transportation section of the approved organisation’s long-term plan (LTP)
• the RPTP prepared under part 5 of the Land Transport Management Act 2003
• other relevant information not referenced in the LTP or RLTP, or which requires more space than is available in the TIO comments section, and should include:
  • a supporting business case – for public transport continuous programmes this applies the principles of the Business Case Approach and is expected to be adopted and applied by the RPTP
  • network or service level strategies or plans developed separately from the RPTP or the supporting business case
  • benefit–cost ratio information to support any public transport improvement activity larger than a low-cost, low-risk improvement
  • completion of the public transport low-cost, low-risk improvements template for all improvement activities up to $2 million total cost per activity
  • evidence to support the cost–benefit appraisal of the public transport continuous programme (we recommend the use of the cost–benefit appraisal to assist in determining the cost–benefit appraisal rating (high/medium/low) for the programme).
  • information used to support development of an organisation’s programme, for example forecast network demand, option assessment, sensitivity testing, supporting information for patronage and fare revenue projections
  • explanations and justifications of cost and scope changes from previous forecasts, for example input price changes, re-tendering.

Developing public transport activities

For information on developing public transport continuous programme activities, see the requirements for public transport continuous programmes.

Public transport continuous programmes

For information on developing public transport improvement activities, see the requirements for public transport improvements.

Public transport improvements

 For information on low-cost, low-risk public transport improvements, see work category 532.

Work category 532: low-cost, low-risk public transport improvements

Prioritising activities

Public transport activities proposed for funding from the NLTF are prioritised under the NZTA Investment Prioritisation Method.

Updated draft Investment Prioritisation Method 2024-27

2024–27 NLTP Investment Prioritisation Method (webpage yet to come)