Monitoring and review

This section outlines the purpose and context for monitoring and reviewing public transport and the relevant policy and guidance.

Purpose

NZTA sees the purpose of monitoring and reviewing public transport services and infrastructure as follows:

1. To enable NZTA to oversee the planning, operation, implementation, and delivery of public transport in accordance with our statutory function under section 95 of the Land Transport Management Act.
2. To ensure we are receiving best value for money from the government’s investment in public transport.
3. To ensure the public transport system is contributing to outcomes that are in the public’s best interest.
4. To enable transparency and evidence-based decision-making.
5. To drive a public transport continuous improvement cycle (as outlined in the diagram below).

View a larger image [PDF, 33 KB]

Monitoring and reporting overview

Monitoring outcomes and performance on a national scale is a key mechanism to ensure that the administration, regulation and delivery of the land transport system is occurring in a way that delivers the long-term strategic direction set by the Ministry of Transport and NZTA. This overarching strategic direction and corresponding monitoring framework is outlined in the following statutory documents prepared by NZTA:

• Statement of Intent (SOI) sets out an approach and course of action for a three-year period that will contribute to the delivery of the government’s land transport objectives and wider transport vision. The SOI outlines a performance framework that helps us track progress towards realising our vision and system outcomes. NZTA contributes to, but does not always directly execute, these system changes. To bring about the envisioned change outlined in the SOI, NZTA works collaboratively with its partners.
  Statement of intent
• Statement of Performance Expectations (SPE) sets out how we will measure the financial and non-financial performance of the activities that we deliver and invest in (output classes) and provides forecast financial statements. NZTA prepares a SPE every year.
  Statement of performance expectations

PTA monitoring and reporting

This section provides an overview of the existing regional reporting mechanisms that are relevant to public transport.

Annual achievement returns

PTAs complete annual achievement returns as a condition of funding. The information requested for the return includes customer satisfaction, patronage and fares, fleet, service performance and Total Mobility.

The information provided in the achievement returns provides feedback on the delivery of the overall public transport programme. 

Monthly achievement returns

Monthly achievement returns are completed by PTAs as a condition of funding. Monthly returns include information on patronage and fares, service performance and Total Mobility.

The following links provide requirements and a supporting template for PTAs to follow and use when undertaking public transport monthly reporting.

Monthly reporting requirements for public transport authorities [PDF, 175 KB]

Template – monthly reporting requirements for public transport authorities [XLSX, 6.9 MB]

Customer satisfaction survey

PTAs carry out surveys of user perceptions of public transport as a condition of NZTA funding. These are known as customer satisfaction surveys (CSS).

NZTA specifies questions and a rating scale intended to form the core of the individual CSS. This enables survey results to be comparable across different operators, modes and regions. Further detail is set out in Appendix K of the Procurement manual.

Procurement manual – Appendix K

Measures and definitions

All approved organisations (including NZTA) must use benefits and measures described in the Land Transport Benefits Framework when applying for funding through the NLTP. This includes all the documents and processes relating to funding and investment such as in regional land transport programmes (RLTPs) and activity management plans (AMPs), and all stages of business case development.

Benefits management guidance

Future updates

We are currently developing initiatives to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and ease of monitoring and reporting on the performance of the public transport system. This includes:

• identifying nationally consistent public transport measure definitions
• improving and optimising the procurement, development and management of public transport technology systems.

Recognising that local authorities have considerable experience in developing and maintaining performance measurement and reporting systems, we will need to collaborate with our partners to contribute to these initiatives.