About us

Welcome to the Waikato Community Transport website, a dedicated resource for sharing information about community transport in the Waikato region. This website is administered by the Waikato Regional Council and serves as a central hub for the Waikato Community Transport Forum, a collective of over 30 community transport providers and various stakeholder organisations.

Our primary audience includes community transport providers, stakeholders, and anyone interested in the sector. The forum aims to foster collaboration, share best practices, and support the ongoing efforts of local transport providers.

We have also shared details from the region’s community transport providers for people looking for information on how to book transport with them.

Our mission is to support and enhance community transport services by providing a platform for networking, information sharing, and collaboration. We strive to ensure that the needs and interests of the community transport sector are met through effective communication and support.

The Community Transport Lead of Waikato Regional Council consults with an advisory group to ensure that our support reflects the interests and needs of the sector. This advisory group comprises representatives from:

• Waikato Regional Council
• Community Waikato
• Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
• Community transport groups

The Waikato Rural Transport Forum was established in March 2010 to address rural transport issues and foster collaboration among stakeholders. In 2012 and 2013, work funded by Waikato Regional Council, Hauraki District, and Thames-Coromandel District Councils explored community transport provision in East Waikato. This work highlighted the importance of local coordination and support for community transport providers.

In February 2015, funding was secured to create this website, providing a central point of information and networking for community transport providers and agencies in the Waikato region. The goal was to continue supporting and strengthening community transport services through this platform.

Over the years, Waikato Regional Council became more involved both as a funder and in dedicating staff to addressing the needs of the sector. Through its 2022/23 Annual Plan, the Council established a contestable fund for distribution to eligible community transport providers in the region, to better support its communities’ access needs. Additionally, the Council established a dedicated role – the Community Transport Lead – who would go on to develop and manage the fund, facilitate the forum, and advocate for improvements across the sector.