Covid-19: Kiwis' public transport use way above projections, and we're leading the world

Wednesday, 17 June 2020

Commuters are already returning to public transport at a much faster rate than expected.

Lucy Barnett wanted to wait a while before she started taking the bus to work again. Even after New Zealand moved to Level 1, she decided to give it a few weeks, just to be safe.

It just felt like an 'unnecessary risk', and she was happy to walk in the meantime.

In the end, it was the rain that forced her hand. 'At least it's dry inside,' she said.

On a drizzly Wednesday on Courtenay Place, almost every bus that comes past on the morning run is nearing capacity. It's not quite standing room only, but almost every seat is taken.

Most buses in Wellington were near full on Wednesday

* Public transport limited to 43 per cent capacity at Level 2

* Fully cashless buses could be a permanent fixture in Wellington after Covid-19

Auckland public transport is still climbing, and nearing normal levels.

It's hard to imagine that less than a fortnight ago buses were practically running empty.

Public transport was expected to be one of the hardest-hit areas in the Covid-19 recovery, but already Kiwis are returning to buses and trains at far higher rates than projected - in fact, new data shows New Zealand is leading the western world in its return to public transport.

Greater Wellington Regional Council was projecting public transport revenue over the second half of 2020 to be down as much as 40 per cent on last year, forcing the council to take on as much as $20 million in debt.

But figures from just three days after Level 1 began already show bus use in Wellington above 75 per cent of 2019 rates and climbing.

In Auckland, figures show an immediate rise in users on the first day of Level 1.

Monday, June 8, the last day of Level 2, saw 178,000 passengers. The next day, that jumped to 200,000, and by the Friday there were 228,000 users.

That put Auckland Transport above 70 per cent of pre-lockdown users within just four days of Level 1.

A spokesperson said AT was expecting another boost in July with the return of university students, who make up 14 per cent of users.

The greater Christchurch region had the highest public transport rate of any major centres, reaching 81.5 per cent of 2019 passenger numbers in the first week of level 1.

Figures from real-time public transport data app Transit show New Zealand is adopting public transport at greater rates than any other country it operates in.

New Zealand was 22 per cent below normal passenger rates on June 14, according to the app's data.

By comparison, the United Kingdom was 69 per cent down on normal capacity, the United States was down 58 per cent, and Australia was down by 44 per cent.

All public transport in New Zealand was free during lockdown, thanks to a $110 million NZTA subsidy.

Auckland Transport resumed charging for fares at the start of Level 2, while Canterbury introduced fares on June 15. Fares remain free in Wellington until June 30.