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A shock decline in public transport trips into central Auckland revealed by a snap survey is blamed partly on disruption by the $41 million upgrade of Queen St.
The Auckland Regional Council's transport policy committee was alarmed to learn yesterday of a 1.2 per cent drop on last year in passengers who travelled into the central city on buses, trains or ferries in the two-hour morning travel peak from 7am on Tuesday, March 27.
That reduction is in comparison with the previous year's survey, and advice of the downturn has come as the council plans to boost its annual spending on public transport by $31 million - to $155 million.
But the Auckland Regional Transport Authority, a council subsidiary, says the survey finding is in contrast to an overall 3.8 per cent increase in public transport patronage it has recorded for the 10 months to April.
It acknowledges a 30 per cent to 33 per cent slump in patronage on city circuit and western bays bus services between March and April, but blames that on the Queen St road works.
The regional council survey counted 29,328 people arriving in central Auckland by public transport between 7am and 9am on March 27, compared with 29,679 on a similar day last year.
Bus patronage dropped 3.1 per cent to 21,551 passengers, compared with a 7.3 per cent increase in ferry users to 3538 and a 4.2 per cent rise in rail numbers to 4239.
The rail increase was far less spectacular than a rise of 41.2 per cent recorded in last year's survey, but western line services were hit heavily in March by disruption from track duplication work.
Although the survey did not count car occupants, the regional council has estimated from other research that private vehicles accounted for about 54 per cent of morning peak trips into the central business district last year, compared with 40 per cent by public transport, 5 per cent on foot and 1 per cent on bicycles.
The overall proportion of public transport trips in the Auckland region is estimated at 7 per cent, or about 52 million passenger rides annually, which the council wants to boost by one million in the coming financial year.
