Fare cut move ‘challenging’
Transport officials in Auckland are scrambling to work out how to implement the temporary halving of public transport fares which was unveiled in a surprise move by the Government on Monday.
The initiative will involve tweaking Auckland’s AT Hop electronic ticketing system, run by French multi-national Thales, with past fare changes having been costly and complicated.
On Tuesday, the Government confirmed the Devonport and Waiheke Island ferry services would not be covered by the cut, as they are outside the formal, subsidised public network.
The Government has announced a three-month nationwide halving of public transport fares, alongside the 25 cent-a-litre cut in fuel excise, to ease pain from the spike in the cost of transport and fuel.
The Minister of Transport Michael Wood told Stuff that Auckland Transport (AT) had advised him that implementing the temporary fare cut was ‘‘challenging but doable’’.
Stuff is awaiting responses from AT, the minister’s office and the Government’s transport agency Waka Kotahi on whether there was any discussion with Auckland about the technical feasibility of the cut before it was announced.
‘‘We have moved quickly on this, so will be realistic and reasonable in the event of a small delay,’’ said Wood in a text response.
AT’s response had been ‘‘enthusiastic, given the potential to encourage more people to give public transport a go’’.
Almost all public transport trips in Auckland are paid for using the AT Hop electronic card, the country’s most sophisticated and comprehensive fare technology, covering all modes and fare types.
While AT Hop cards can be used on the Waiheke Island and Devonport ferry services, these are purely commercial operations run by Fullers360.
AT Hop has been operating for a decade, and AT officials have in the past pointed to the cost, and need to negotiate the implementation of new fare types with Thales, as a hurdle to making changes.
That issue temporarily delayed the introduction of daily fare caps in 2021.
Public transport use in Auckland has been hard hit by Covid19. In January 2022, only 2.9 million trips were taken, less than half the pre-Covid-19 level in January 2020.
Annual trips had broken through the 100 million mark, but in the year to January sat at 49 million, before the escalation of the Omicron outbreak.
The level of public transport fares in Auckland is becoming increasingly political as the council wrestles with how to deliver on its pledge to cut transport emissions by 64 per cent by 2030.
Two mayoral candidates seeking to succeed Phil Goff in October’s election, Efeso Collins and Leo Molloy, are advocating fare-free public transport.
Labour-endorsed Collins wants it to become permanent, while restaurateur Molloy wants to fund a 12-month trial, using Regional Fuel Tax money.
Auckland Transport has historically each year raised at least some fares but this year left them unchanged, and put the question of how to fund public transport into councillors’ hands as they shape their budget.
Nationwide initiatives to lower fares, at least for some, may come in the Government’s May budget.