Free public transport for Auckland under-15s could come into effect in September

Monday, 20 May 2019

Auckland under-15s could be travelling for free on weekends and public holidays within three months.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said the policy would come into effect on September 1 if councillors voted in favour of the mayoral proposal for the annual budget on Wednesday.

He said the proposal would encourage more families onto public transport and create more train and bus users.

If councillors vote in favour of free transport for under-15s on weekends and public holidays, the change will be in place within three months (file photo).

'We want to make public transport free for children and teenagers under 15 on weekends and public holidays as soon as possible and we can now confirm it will come into effect this September,' he said.

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'This policy will make more efficient use of existing bus capacity, make weekend travel more accessible for families, and encourage the next generation of Aucklanders to become public transport users.'

Patronage on all public transport in Auckland is running 8.5 per cent ahead of the previous year and is expected to reach a modern record of 100 million trips a year next month.

This April, patronage was 10.3 per cent higher than the previous year once anomalies were stripped out, such as holiday and special events.

Allowing under-15s to travel free on weekends would lose revenue of $643,000 but could generate 989,000 additional trips.

Similar initiatives have been backed by the climate change lobby Generation Zero in a campaign it launched in March.

Other items to receive additional funding if confirmed on Wednesday included $5 million to tackle homelessness through the City Mission's HomeGround project, $200,000 to fight illegal dumping and $250,000 to wipe out graffiti on rail corridors.