WC 522: SuperGold Card concession payments

The principles on which the scheme is administered are:

• the level of Crown funding for the scheme represents an implicit agreement between the Crown and local government on funding the mutually agreed outcomes of the scheme and when adjusted in forward years, will remain inside the Cabinet approved appropriation
• the 2017/18 allocation between individual local governments of the Crown funding represents an agreed fair starting point
• the allocations in future years should be adjusted for the two factors which increase cost to local government beyond those already met through financial assistance to their public transport programme:
  • an increase in the number of SuperGold trips as a proportion of total off-peak travel
  • an increase in the cost of off-peak travel assessed trough a simple proxy such as bus kms
• the scheme administration procedures include the provision for a last resort top up of SuperGold funding to local government from the NLTF (public transport activity class). This NLTP top-up would only be required should growth in proportional SuperGold patronage or the cost of off-peak services at an aggregate level across all local authorities increase above the estimates on which the three-yearly Crown funding level have been based.  Should a top-up be required, this will be represented by a separate line item for the work category.

MoT is responsible for developing and reviewing SuperGold Card concession policy, including eligibility of services for the scheme (all contracted public transport services approved by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency are eligible), and for setting overall funding levels.

Examples of qualifying activities include, but may not be limited to:

• fully subsidised travel on off-peak public transport services by SuperGold card holders on eligible services.

Other potential activites that are not on the above list should be discussed with Waka Kotahi for eligibility.

The work category excludes:

• any services and routes that do not form part of an approved organisation’s regional public transport plan (this excludes exempt services)
• SuperGold funding assistance for all peak services
• SuperGold card administration costs.

The following off peak periods apply:

(i)         9am to 3pm Monday to Friday, from 6.30pm until the end of service Monday to Thursday, and Friday 6.30pm to 6.30am Monday

(ii)        Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

A card holder who boards a service within 10 minutes before the start of an agreed off peak period or within 10 minutes after the end of an agreed off peak period is to be treated as having boarded the service during an agreed off peak period.

A public transport service that is identified in a regional public transport plan and is scheduled a contracted bus, train, and ferry services available in urban areas within a region. The following services are excluded from the scheme and must not be included in eligible services:

(a)       Tours and excursions generally

(b)       Long distance coach and train services

(c)        Inter-island ferry services

(d)       Special event services;

(e)        Total mobility services

(f)        Taxi services.

The council must allow Waka Kotahi to audit the council’s systems for collecting and holding certificates of patronage and supporting information, and the related data, from time to time as convenient to the council and Waka Kotahi, acting reasonably.

The council must inform Waka Kotahi of all reports of attempted misuse of SuperGold Cards received from operators, as well as any misuse detected in its audit processes.

The approved SuperGold allocation for each approved organisation will be paid within the first quarter of a new NLTP year.

SuperGold Card patronage  for contracted services is to be reported in the monthly return for public transport via TIO(external link), broken down by public transport units for individual approved organisations.

Exempt SuperGold Card services patronage needs to be reported in the monthly return for SuperGold Card by exempt service route for approved organisations where exempt services currently operate via TIO(external link) to support claims made in accordance with the provision of current exempt services agreements.