Wellington Airport asked to drop toll charges for airport bus
Wednesday, 7 August 2019
Wellington Airport will be asked to remove tolls for public transport vehicles as part of a push to get more people out of their cars.
The Greater Wellington Regional Council request comes after the airport asked the council to consider running public buses to and from the airport before a proposed $2.2 billion mass transit system is introduced.
That system, likely to be light rail or trackless trams, is not expected to connect to the airport until after 2029.
The council passed a motion on Wednesday for council, airport and bus operator staff to discuss removing tolls and creating priority access for public transport vehicles.
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Currently, only the privately-run Airport Flyer - operated by NZ Bus - services the airport, but the council also wants that service to be reviewed with the possibility of introducing a public bus service instead.
The airport wrote to the council in June expressing concern that the mass transit system was potentially still more than 10 years away.
'This possibility makes it important that the regional council starts discussions now with the airport company and bus operators about the potential for putting public bus services through to the airport in advance of, and as a forerunner to, MRT [mass rapid transit].'
Motorists would benefit from better public transport links because they would encourage drivers to use that option instead, freeing up road space, the letter said.
Regional councillor Daran Ponter said on Tuesday the Airport Flyer service had become 'embarrassing' over the past year after fares were hiked, the discount Snapper system was removed, and cancellations increased.
He claimed passenger numbers had dropped 'through the floor', but NZ Bus said numbers had remained stable.
In a statement, Wellington Airport spokesman Greg Thomas said the Airport Flyer already had priority access, as well as an undercover waiting facility close to the terminal.
'The issue with the service isn't the licence to operate, but the reliability of the service being provided by NZ Bus and the removal of Snapper and real-time information [technology] from the public transport network.
'There were no significant issues with the service last year. The bus service licence is up for renewal next year but in the meantime the focus is on NZ Bus restoring their previous service levels.'