Parking firm’s ad ‘repugnant’

A radio advertisement by Wilson Parking encouraging people to ‘‘skip crowded public transport’’ because of Covid-19 has been labelled ‘‘repugnant’’.

However, the company quickly hit back, stating it supported the use of public transport and its advert was in line with official advice.

The advert, which is running on Newstalk ZB nationwide, includes the line: ‘‘Keep your bubble safe, skip crowded public transport. Driving to the office keeps your exposure down.’’

Greater Wellington Regional councillor Thomas Nash called the campaign ‘‘repugnant’’.

‘‘It’s an absolute shocker. It’s not true. Public transport isn’t crowded at the moment,’’ he said.

‘‘They are using misinformation during a pandemic to undermine an essential public service in the pursuit of private gain.’’

At alert level 2, Metlink buses and trains have been restricted to just 40 per cent and 30 per cent of their usual capacity, respectively, in order to maintain social distancing.

In the first week of operations, most services had been running well below that already reduced capacity.

Fellow councillor Roger Blakeley called for Newstalk ZB’s owner, NZME, to take the adverts off the air, saying the claims were false.

‘‘Wilson is falsely claiming that it is unsafe to use public transport. Wrong! We have full physical distancing in place. They also claim it is lower cost to use car parking than PT. Wrong again! Self interest ‘trumps’ public good. ZB take these off air today,’’ he wrote on Twitter.

In a statement, Wilson Parking denied that the advert implied public transport was unsafe.

‘‘Such a claim has not been made, and in fact Wilson Parking fully supports the use of public transport as one of a range of modes for the daily commute. Wilson’s message is entirely consistent with official recommendations to avoid crowded transportation,’’ the statement said.

‘‘We are well aware of the seriousness of the health issue and believe that driving to work is an effective social distancing tool during this time. Wilson Parking is promoting responsible travel.’’

‘‘Public transport isn’t crowded at the moment.’’ Thomas Nash

Greater Wellington regional councillor

Nash heard the advert on Thursday afternoon, and brought the issue to the council’s attention, triggering discussions between several councillors, the chief executive and the council’s media team.

Greater Wellington chief executive Greg Campbell said the council had not asked Wilson Parking to stop its campaign. ‘‘But we are disappointed that they are using advertising to raise the public’s fear of Covid19 for commercial gain.’’

Throughout the alert period, Metlink had complied with all instructions from the Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Transport Agency, and also aligned with other public transport providers on its approach to managing passengers’ possible exposure to Covid-19, Campbell said.

The travelling public could be reassured their health was at the forefront of Metlink’s public transport services, and that it was taking ‘‘extreme measures’’ to be sure people were safe, he said.