Wellington public transport fare cap promised by Labour

Wednesday, 4 June 2025

Labour Greater Wellington Regional Council chairperson Daran Ponter and Wellington mayoral candidate Andrew Little are proposing a weekly cap on bus and train fares if they are voted in later in 2025.

With public transport mostly run by the regional council, Ponter said the $4.5 million-a-year plan could add about 2% to rates but the first option was re-prioritising money from elsewhere.

It was hoped the plan would kick in soon after the October election.

Little, who made the announcement at an Island Bay bus stop on Wednesday alongside Ponter and GWRC candidate Tom James, said it would encourage an estimated 300,000 extra trips on public transport.

Someone with a registered Snapper Card would get their fares capped after the first eight trips in a week.

“For many Wellingtonians, transport is a significant cost. A weekly cap on bus and train fares will help to lower the cost of living, reduce congestion and increase public transport usage and reliability,” Little said.

A regular commuter from Strathmore into the city would save more than $400 a year, he said.

He also pointed to the role the Government had to play in making public transport affordable and reliable.

“If elected, I will work alongside the regional council to advocate for the Government to ease up on its requirement for increased private charges on public transport.”

Yadana Saw, Green Party candidate for the regional council, said it was good to see growing support for more affordable public transport, and for the Greens’ existing policy on fare capping, but getting more bus lanes was key.

“The problem with fare capping is that it remains held up by the national ticketing project run by central government,” Saw said.

“Auckland public transport users have debit card payment, fare capping and integrated fares between bus, rail and ferry and the Greens are committed to getting these for Wellington.”