Fine weather and students help lift Auckland buses to record usage
Auckland's buses carried more passengers this June than any previously on record – a milestone that caps a steady climb back from the pandemic collapse that gutted the city's public transport system several few years ago.
That network faces one of its biggest tests of the year this Saturday, with more than 85,000 fans expected across three major events on the same evening.
Auckland Transport (AT) recorded 6.3 million bus trips last month, and the latest sign that patronage growth, largely flat through 2025, has kicked back into gear this year.
AT public transport group manager Rachel Cara pointed to fine winter weather and a bigger student discount as the main factors.
"We've had some fantastic winter weather so far, and we know this makes a big difference for people deciding to use the bus," she said.
June's 6.3 million bus trips were up from 5.5 million in June 2025 and 6.19 million in June 2019, the last winter before Covid-19.
Tertiary students led the surge, with their trips up 46.5% on June last year after AT doubled its tertiary discount from 20% to 40% in December.
Since then, 4.5 million student trips have been recorded, saving more than 30,000 students $4.6m - a figure AT says amounts to $9.1m in discounts against the adult fare.
But officials were confident the rise wasn't simply coming from higher subsidies.
"The huge increase in tertiary student bus boardings has offset the additional discount Auckland Transport is providing," Cara said.
Growth coming from outside of rush hour
Auckland patronage cratered during the Covid-19 lockdowns - bottoming out at barely half a million total boardings across all modes in April 2020, a roughly 95% fall from the pre-pandemic peak of about 10.2 million in March 2019.
Cara said the public transport network was now seeing its strongest growth on weekends and for leisure and essential trips outside of the rush hour.
"It’s now fair to say we have the most extensive bus network of any major city in Australasia, which really shows its recent growth," she said.
"We now have 45 frequent transit network bus routes throughout Auckland, which we’ve boosted significantly in the last few years.
"These are routes that run at least every 15 minutes, 7am to 7pm, 7 days a week. Since June 2025 we have added 5 more of these routes, taking us to 45 in total."
Rail lags while ferries set records
In comparison, trains have been slower to bounce back.
Rail patronage was dragged down for years by extended network-rebuild closures, and remains well short of its pre-pandemic levels, though it has strengthened recently.
Rail figures are also routinely distorted each summer by scheduled maintenance shutdowns, which slashed January train boardings to under 400,000 this year.
That picture is expected to change with the imminent opening of the City Rail Link, the underground line through the CBD, tipped to drive a step-change in train patronage.
In the meantime, the network faces a short-term test this Saturday, when more than 85,000 fans are expected across three major events on the same evening.
They include the All Blacks against Ireland at Eden Park, the Warriors against the Dragons at Go Media Stadium in Penrose, and the Harlem Globetrotters at Spark Arena.
AT is providing free integrated ticketing for the 50,000 fans expected at Eden Park, who can ride buses and trains to and from Kingsland from 3pm by showing their match ticket.
Special event buses will run every 10 to 15 minutes from Albany, the CBD and the eastern suburbs, with extra trains added afterwards.
The Western train line will be closed between Waitematā (Britomart) and Morningside from 8.30pm to 10pm, with Warriors fans heading west needing to change to a rail replacement bus at Newmarket before rejoining the train at Morningside.
There is no integrated ticketing for the Warriors or Globetrotters events, and AT has warned of long waits for special event buses and trains, urging fans to plan ahead.