Fare-free weekend public transport for Auckland under-15s sought

Tuesday, 12 March 2019

Auckland under-15s would be able to travel free on weekend public transport, under a proposal being pushed by a councillor.

Chris Darby wants to at least trial the concept while a wider look is made of ways to get more commuters out of their cars.

The under-15s weekend initiative is estimated to cost around $623,000 in lost revenue to the city's agency Auckland Transport.

But Darby told Stuff AT was open to being asked by the council to try the idea.

**READ MORE:

* Anger over 6 per cent fare hikes in Auckland

* Auckland public transport fares could be frozen

* Auckland's free buses and trains has released a genie out of the bottle 

* Councillor asks Auckland Transport to look at extending free public transport**

Darby's proposal follows the failure of an earlier, more costly initiative by Auckland Transport, which wanted to freeze fares as a way to further boost patronage.

AT couldn't get funding from NZTA and withdrew the idea, opting for increases for between 4.5 and 7 per cent for many users.

The councillor said the real cost of free travel for under-15s could be much less.

'Invariably parents could be induced to travel with children, generating greater patronage and revenue,' he said. 

He also explored other options to encourage young Aucklanders to use more public transport.

Making school bus services free would cost almost $2.7 million annually in lost revenue.

A five-year phase-in of everyday free travel for under-15s would eventually cost $21 million in lost revenue, according to AT estimates.

That would lift the current age for free travel from 5 years, to 15 years, in two-year increments.

Darby said the payback would be the inter-generational travel habits formed.

Darby is chairman of the planning committee and, along with his deputy Richard Hills and Mayor Phil Goff, had written to the Minister of Transport Phil Twyford pushing the need to accelerate the use of public transport.

Twyford said NZTA was working on a 'mode shift strategy' for Auckland to encourage the move out of private vehicles, and onto public transport, walking and cycling.

Politicians and transport officials are due to meet this month to discuss an early version of the work being done.

'I've got my eyes fixed on both the short-term ideas and the long term,' Darby said.

'I have not lost sight of what we could do in this budget round,' he said, referring to the 2019-2020 council budget being pulled together over the next three months.

Darby said there was already plenty of unused public transport capacity on weekends and off-peak, so there would be no additional service cost in letting children ride free.