New fare-capping scheme proposed for Wellington
Daran Ponter, Andrew Little and Tom James announce their public transport plan in Island Bay.
Photo:
RNZ / Bill Hickman
A new fare-capping system could encourage an extra 300,000 trips on Wellington's public transport system each year, says mayoral candidate Andrew Little.
Under the proposed new scheme, bus and train users would pay for up to eight trips a week - and any additional trips would be free.
The plan was announced this morning - outside a rain-soaked Island Bay bus stop - as a joint policy alongside regional council candidates Daran Ponter and Tom James.
Little said the move would help lower the cost of living, reduce congestion and encourage public transport use.
"If you're a regular bus user - four days a week you take your bus to work - the fifth day you take the bus you'll get that for free.
"Any travel you do in the weekend - you might go and see a Phoenix game, you might go and see [the] Hurricanes playing - you'll get that for free as well," Little said.
Little said he was a regular bus user, but had passed up his usual express service into Wellington City in order to make the announcement.
Ponter said the cap on bus and train fares was expected to cost up to $4.5 million each year - which the regional council would try to find "internally".
"We can afford that if we juggle other things that we do.
"Bus use in the Wellington region has grown by 110 percent since Covid, but we're still keen to maximise use on public transport. This proposal will really benefit those people who regularly use public transport by incentivising them further," Ponter said.
The candidates said they were unified in their commitment to continue the implementation of a safe cycle network alongside expanding public transport use in the city.
"You only have to look down Adelaide Road to see cycle lanes and bus lanes working superbly," Ponter said.
He said the regional council was poised to add additional buses to cope with the estimated 300,000 extra trips the plan could bring.
"We have an order of articulated buses for the number two route - precisely to deal with these types of circumstances - a route that is growing significantly and will come under additional use as the consequence of a policy like this," Ponter said.
Labour regional council candidate Tom James said - if elected - the candidates would also be looking at other policies to help the reduce the cost of public transport further.
"Auckland Transport works with businesses to subsidise their employees use. We'll be looking at teaming up with the private sector to reduce bus fares even more and also looking at places like New South Wales where they have brought in an all day off peak [fare] on their Friday.
"We'll be considering further proposals like that to further encourage people to take the bus and train," James said.
Daran Ponter, Andrew Little and Tom James in Island Bay this morning
Photo:
RNZ / Bill Hickman
Island Bay locals greeted the proposal with cautious enthusiasm this morning.
Regular public transport user David Barnes said the system would "make a big difference" across his weekly costs.
"I think it's a great idea. It would bring Wellington into common practise with Auckland and other overseas cities and it's a direct incentive to use public transport.
"It would save a lot of people money and probably not cost that much more because all those services are already running. I can't see any downsides," Barnes said.
Veterinary regulator Kelly Etuata said she was in full support of the initiative and was encouraged that Little was "listening to the community".
"With people that are normally catching the bus everyday to get to work - with the cost of everything these days - it probably does help a little bit," Etuata said.
Island Bay resident Paul Brownie said something needed to be done to rein in the price of Wellington's bus services.
"It really needs to be done in Wellington. The bus fares are ridiculous. The per section fares just don't make any sense anymore.
"I was just over in Brisbane and they have a cap of 50 cents per journey. So we were basically travelling around Brisbane all day for a dollar a day.
"You can't even get from one bus-stop to the next in Wellington for a dollar. The pricing scheme here is just way out of touch," Brownie said.
Brownie said he was optimistic that the public transport system could cope with any added demand.
"The service certainly has improved in the last six to 12 months to what it was a couple of years ago where - particularly on this run - you were getting two or three buses in a row cancelled. Last thing people want to be doing is standing at bus-stops for half an hour waiting to get home," Brownie said.
He said the proposal would put a "definite plus" in the candidates' column when weighing up his votes for council.
"As long as, if what they're proposing, actually happens. If they're going to put it as an election campaign then they have to stump up and actually do it.
"Our roads around Wellington are not getting any wider and easier to drive around so if we can take a bit more traffic off the roads then it's got to be a good thing," Brownie said.
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