Bus numbers have been up and down over the past year. Photo / Michael Craig
Bus numbers have been up and down over the past year. Photo / Michael Craig
Reducing Covid-19 restrictions, not half price fares, is the key to people getting back on public transport, says Auckland Transport.
Last week, the Government announced public transport fares would be halved for three months from April 1 in response to the global energy crisis that's impacting on the cost of living for households.
The cut price fares do not apply to the popular Devonport and Waiheke ferry services, which are run as commercial operations by Fullers.
Last week the Government cut the petrol excise tax by 25 cents a litre. Photo / File
The Government also announced fuel excise taxes and road user charges would be slashed by 25 cents a litre.
An AT spokesman said an increase in passenger numbers is expected in coming months as a result of half price fares but the main driver of patronage returning will be from the easing of Covid-19 restrictions and case numbers.
"Due to the timing of this policy being introduced it will be difficult for us to know whether increases in passenger numbers are due to this policy or broader changes in travel patterns as we get past the peak of the Omicron outbreak," he said.
The pandemic has had a huge impact on public transport numbers, which peaked at 102 million in 2019 and plummeted to 7 per cent of pre-Covid levels in the third quarter last year.
Rail patronage trails bus and ferry services at present. Photo / File
By December, patronage rose to 50 per cent, before dipping again with the outbreak of Omicron in Auckland. Last week, overall patronage was sitting at 36 per cent, but rail boardings were only 30 per cent. Thursday was the busiest day with 142,000 journeys.
The Government's call to temporarily halve public transport fares comes amid growing calls for free public transport and signs of more permanent announcements in Budget 2022.
Two of the leading candidates in the Auckland mayoral election, Efeso Collins and Leo Molloy, are advocating for free public transport. Free public transport is a cornerstone of Collins' bid to replace Phil Goff and Molloy wants to fund a 12-month trial using money from the regional fuel tax.
The Aotearoa Collective for Public Transport Equity is handing over a petition to Parliament signed by more than 12,000 people calling for free, high-quality public transport to help New Zealand reach its carbon neutral goals.
Efeso Collins has made free public transport a key policy. Photo / File
The AT spokesman said free public transport would initially lead to a revenue loss of about $130m a year, but once patronage recovers from Covid the loss would be more than $200m and growing each year.
"Operating expenses would also rise significantly to accommodate extra demand if free fares were introduced across the board. By 2030, the growth in public transport usage combined with new services coming on line, could mean that the annual cost of providing free public transport could be around $500m per annum," he said.
The spokesman said AT did not expect the half-price fares initiative will compromise its already severely constrained budget any further due to the discount being funded by Government.
