KEY POINTS:
Fuel price rises appear to be forcing Auckland drivers to ease off the gas as the region's public transport system comes under increasing pressure.
Petrol consumption fell 2.4 per cent to 93.4 million litres in the Auckland region in March from the same month last year, defying a national increase of 1.75 per cent.
An even sharper drop of 4.7 per cent in the region's diesel use for March has surprised the Road Transport Forum, which reports continuing increases in consumption by freight firms nationally, despite the economic slowdown and a 37 per cent price rise over the past year.
The Government expects there to be zero growth in petrol consumption nationally between now and 2012, prompting it to defer adding the transport sector to the controversial emissions trading scheme for two years, to ease fuel cost pressures on businesses and households.
Pain at the pumps has led to a quadrupling to about 40,000 since January of the daily number of people looking up the Government's Fuelsaver website for information about the most efficient cars to buy, and tips on how to save petrol, such as by modifying their driving habits.
That effort will be boosted before the end of the year when the country's largest fleet management firm, Custom Fleet NZ, expects to import from Australia a new training scheme to add fuel efficiency to defensive-driving courses for employees of its more than 2000 client companies.
A 20 per cent rise in petrol prices in a year is helping the Northern Busway chalk up passenger records.
More commuters are catching thetrain.
It is boosting sales of two-wheelers and making more cyclists take to the road despite chilly conditions.
The Auckland Regional Transport Authority reports more than double the patronage last month on the Northern Express bus service from April last year, when buses had to vie for motorway space with general traffic, before the advent of the busway enabled them to reduce trip times and improve reliability.
Rail services carried a record number of passengers last month, pushing annual patronage above 6.5 million trips for the first time, and putting pressure on the transport authority to add more interim rolling stock while waiting for cash to order new electric trains.
Auckland drivers are even starting to carry more passengers in their cars, despite single-occupant vehicles continuing to jam main routes at peak times.
