High fares fail to dissuade Aucklanders from using public transport

Auckland public transport fares are among the highest in the world, according to a report published in British news site, the Independent.

While many city commuters say they are unsurprised by the report, it is a cost they are willing to pay for high quality service.

Oliver Saunders, who works in the CBD and commutes by train, said he found the 15-minute ride from Panmure to Britomart "pleasant" and believes it is worth paying extra to avoid congestion on the motorways.

"It's so much nicer than sitting in a traffic jam. I don't mind paying a bit more for sitting on a very nice train."

Leon Lvric, a pensioner from Remuera, and his wife use public transport regularly to travel into the city using a Gold Card.

Mr Lvric said he thought cash fares might be slightly high, but the cost was necessary to maintain a high standard of passenger comfort and service and he would still use public transport if he had to pay full price.

"[Without higher fares] how could we have such a beautiful transport system? We have lovely trains, lovely buses. They are pretty frequent . . . I don't mind paying a little bit extra for services that will eventually benefit our grandchildren."

Waiheke Island resident Dulcie Barker said the introduction of the Hop ticketing system last year made travelling to Auckland more efficient and cost effective for commuters.

"It's getting a lot easier with the Hop card. The Hop card is definitely cheaper than cash. [Public transport in Auckland] used to be expensive with the cash system."

International student Rahul Rahul said he thought public transport in Auckland was "a bit expensive".

"They should have more concessions for students. My friend lives in Australia and if you compare [public transport fares in] Auckland to Australia, it's really expensive."

Auckland Transport media relations manager Mark Hannan said via email that while fares were cheaper in major Australian cities and elsewhere than in Auckland, overseas the public pay more in subsidy.

”Reducing fares substantially would increase public funding needs," he continued in the email.

Auckland public transport fares account for only 50 per cent of the services' operating costs. The other half comes from public funding.

Mr Hannan added that more Aucklanders were using public transport now than six years ago, with rail usage in particular increasing by more than 20 per cent.

"We have seen a growth since 2010 of public transport trips from 63 million to 82 million – higher growth than any other New Zealand city and most Australian ones," he said in the email.

Transport Blog contributor Patrick Reynolds said while the cost of public transport in Auckland had been reduced in recent years, commuters could expect fares to become more affordable in 2016.

Currently commuters using more than one public transport service on a journey pay for each leg separately.

Later this year, Auckland Transport are introducing an automated ticketing system, meaning commuters using two or more different services will only have to pay for the length of their journey.

Read the full Independent study.