Peak-hour scramble for a ride on the bus

By CATHY ARONSON

Bus and train operators are struggling to cope with a surge in peak-hour commuters in Auckland and are rushing to expand fleets.

Many passengers have to stand and squeeze onto peak-hour buses and some are not being picked up because the buses are too full.

Stagecoach has ordered more buses and the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) is in a race against time to lease more trains before passengers increase when Britomart opens next year.

Daily public transport commuters have doubled in the past 10 years, and in the past year alone have increased by 21.3 per cent, from 21,115 to 25,608, a survey of morning commuters shows.

Public transport advocates and local authorities have been quick to pat themselves on the back for a plan, started in 1999, to get better-quality, cheaper, quicker and more reliable public transport.

They wanted to get commuters out of cars to reduce pollution and ease congestion, because it could cost $5.92 billion in the next decade to fix roading problems.

But now the public has caught on to the campaign, transport providers are struggling to keep up.

Auckland's largest bus company, Stagecoach, had to lease an extra 18 buses in February, in addition to its 609 fleet, and will add 100 new buses in the next 18 months.

Stagecoach spokesman Russell Turnbull said it cancelled an order for 39-seat buses in exchange for 51-seaters.

An increase in international students within the inner-city had added to the load, he said.

Students outside Auckland University yesterday said they were frustrated with the bus service.

Edmund King said this year was the worst in the six years he had caught buses to the Mt Albert shops.

"It's chaotic. Most of the time you have to stand up but sometimes the buses don't stop at all. Even though they come every 10 minutes, sometimes you can't get on one for about an hour."

The ARC pays $33 million a year to subsidise the cost of buses, the most popular form of public transport. Trips with the eight bus companies have increased by 22.8 per cent since last year.

ARC transport chairwoman Catherine Harland said the buses were a success story and would catch up with demand.

"It's a much better position to be in. Not so long ago we were being told we shouldn't bother, Aucklanders will always use their cars.

"We've proved it with buses and we are about to prove it with the trains."

While trains carry only 3.9 per cent of the traffic, their overall numbers have increased by 40.7 per cent this year.

Ten years ago, numbers were as low as 375 but have crept up to 1010. The rate started to rise when new diesel trains were introduced in 1994.

The ARC has predicted a 20 per cent increase in train passengers when Britomart opens next June.

But it has warned the estimates are conservative and that there may not be enough trains.

It will not have new trains until 2006 and needs an extra six, on top of the 19 existing trains, before next year.

Last week the ARC agreed to lease three Silver Fern railcars from Tranz Scenic until its new trains arrive.

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