Broken Auckland bus routes may deter commuters despite free fares, sceptics warn

Wednesday, 29 May 2019

Free weekend travel for under-15s will struggle to draw families to public transport unless “fragmented” routes improve, critics say.

The proposal Mayor Phil Goff endorsed this month was expected to boost annual patronage by 989,000, according to Auckland Transport estimates.

But Lynfield Tennis Club former head coach Josh Constantine believed people would not switch to buses until routes were better connected.

'Many of the kids I train on weekends would have to take three different buses to commute to tennis practice and that's not convenient for their families,' he said.

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'Cheaper fares are a good start to getting more people onto public transport, but with bus routes so fragmented, people will still prefer to drive.”

Free weekend travel for under-15s on public transport was unveiled last week in the council’s annual budget.

Keith Ingram, Half Moon Bay Resident and Ratepayers Association chairman, said buses and trains needed to be a more convenient option for people to make the switch.

“If people have to take two buses and then a train to get to their destination, these fares won't be enough to convince them to change,” he said.

“Why would I spend an hour travelling by public transport when it’s quicker and more convenient to travel by car?”

Youth-led climate change advocacy group Generation Zero spokesman Malcolm McCracken said improving routes was important – but incentive fares could help boost patronage for now.

“We have a lot of capital investment into infrastructure over the next 10 years. However, most of these projects, like the City Rail Link and Eastern Busway, won't come online until the mid 2020's,' he said.

Changing fares was one way to help grow patronage while waiting for those major projects to be completed, McCracken said.

Construction on the $1.4billion Eastern Busway, aimed at improving connectivity between central and east Auckland, started last month. Completion is expected in 2026.

The policy will cost $649,000 and aims to encourage families to start using public transport.

The $4.4 billion City Rail Link, with twin tunnels and two new stations in the central city, is intended to speed up train journey times after its estimated completion in 2024.

Richard Hills, Auckland Council planning committee deputy chair, said the incentive fare policy was a step forward for cheaper, more accessible transport.

Councillor Richard Hills said the policy would open up access to the city to families and young people.

'The council's decision to grant under-15s free travel on weekends opens up access to our city and our communities in the weekend for families and young people,' he said.

'It will also give new users a chance to try out the system for free and become long-term public transport users.'

Hills and planning committee chairman Chris Darby have championed the free youth fares policy.

Earlier this month, Goff also voiced support for the policy in this year's budget.

Patronage on all public transport in Auckland was running 8.5 per cent ahead of last year, and was expected to soon surpass 100 million trips a year.