Labour pledges to cap public transport fares. Here’s what Stuff readers had to say

Wednesday, 10 June 2026

Labour has promised to ease the cost of living by pledging to cap public transport fares at $20 a week in major cities and $10 elsewhere. National has labeled the policy 'fanciful' amid questions over its funding and technical rollout.

The Labour Party has pledged to cap public transport fares at $20 per week, in one of its first election policy announcements.

Under the policy, public transport fares in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch would be capped at $20 per week starting July 2027. For other areas, the cap would be $10 per week. Any rides after the threshold was reached would be free.

There are some exceptions to the fare cap. Interregional trains, such as the Capital Connection and Te Huia, wouldn’t be included, and neither would ferries running to Waiheke Island. InterCity buses and public transport that operated with cash-only fares would also be excluded from the cap.

We had hundreds of comments from Stuff readers sharing their thoughts about the proposed policy. Most were in favour of the pledge, celebrating environmental and cost-of-living wins. Those against the announcement mentioned the lack of public transport in their area and the cost of the policy, while others preferred a user-pays system.

You can read a selection of the responses below.

In favour of the fare cap:

Against the fare cap:

What do you think about Labour’s proposed policy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. If you’re using the Stuff app on iOS you’ll need to view Stuff.co.nz on a browser to view and post comments.