Subscribe to RSSWhere The Rail Meets The Road
Integrated ticketing, finally on its way, is only half the story. There also has to be better co-ordination between arriving and departing public transport services.
For example, because of the ridiculous one line in, one line out rule at the Brit, you can arrive on one line and just miss the departing train for the other line you wish to use – and then, at say the weekend, have to kill time for an hour as happened to me the other day.
New Lynn and Manukau will be our next bus rail transport hubs so it’s important times match up in some logical way accepting that you can’t expect to emerge from every bus into a waiting train.
New Lynn is our next new rail / bus transport hub
Sure some of the ingredients are there for us such as those flash new so called “interchanges” as well as smooth fast transfers such as buses and trains running at the same frequencies through the day. We’re all hanging out for that integrated ticket system to be the icing on the cake. But our timetables don’t take advantage of all these good things that have happened.
Reader James, who has been campaigning for integrated ticketing and has seen it in action overseas, spurred my thinking:
“Someone I know has moved back to Auckland after living in a smaller place with much less public transport and is looking forward to travelling on trains. He lives in an area served by a 30min off-peak frequency bus. The bus travels to the nearby interchange station on the southern line, but arrives there regularly 10min after each train leaves, meaning a 20min wait at the interchange.
It seems like a real waste when people are keen to travel but are discouraged by poorly thought out/coordinated timetables. He is ultimately going to be driven back behind the wheel of a car as a result.
The more park and ride bus interchange stations we build the better, but let’s use them properly. Also how does the Public transport amendment bill affect the setting of timetables? In reality, higher frequencies will eventually remove the need for tuning the arrival and departure times, but while we still have limited trains lets get the two services driving more passengers onto both.
Another example is the much publicised 380 airport bus that passes Papatoetoe “Interchange” reliably 15min before the next northbound train. Of course the more direct airbus will remain more popular if a quarter of people’s journey time is spent waiting at an unknown train station is the alternative.”
That was interesting stuff James and I’m sure other readers have similar stories or have some thoughts about this.
RWC tourists will especially get frustrated at this.
It’s as important to get this right before integrated ticketing starts. So how can we make it happen?
10 Comments
Good in theory matey but doesn’t work in practice. Auckland has too many arterials to co-ordinate to everyone’s wishes. Can’t be done. And who decides if the Westmere bus gets to a train that leaves minutes later while the Mangere east one doesn’t and those people have to wait.
Best idea at the transport hub is to provide things for people to do and spend money. Cafes, Subways, magazine places and so on. Get them relaxed and spending money while they wait.
That’s how a thriving business environment functions.
Dont be ridiculous Actman. Of course its possible and so it should. Some of us dont drive around in BMWs and think we own the world.
This is about making Auckland a first world city. It isn’t if we cant even co-ordinate transport systems.
The way tickets are collected on trains went out in major cities decades and decades ago.
James is right on to it with his comments and passenger transport needs to listen.
we will never grow bus and rail transport use here otherwise.
Good topic. Love your blog.
Not surprising that a right-wing supporter is poo-pooing the concept of integrated transport.
James’ comments are being heard, but there is little support from government, both local and central. For smooth movement between rail and bus modes in Auckland, it is essential that there are 10 minute frequencies being maintained in peak periods, and 20-30 minute frequencies interpeak. The bus services in Auckland tend toward the isthmus, and thus different suburban services should be able to service the different stations accordingly to rail timings without much more effort. Those who are attempting to go to Clendon, could easily catch a bus from Manurewa Interchange, for instance, 5 minutes after they have hopped off the train.
ARTA need to ensure stations are equipped suitably with passenger information systems that can direct passengers to the nearest alternative modes of transport and their destination. For example: ‘Services to Clendon, Weymouth – Platform 1, Station Road. Services to Papakura and Downtown, Great South Road’. Even transfers between rail services should be done this way, although this would require some serious administrative effort from someone watching CCTV…
The ferry and bus timetables at Britomart are poorly co-ordinated too. I often have to wait 20 minutes because the bus leaves at 8.35am (the ferry arrival time, but no allowance for transfer)
Its not about overhauling the whole system and timetables, just where frequencies already match and begin at arbitrary times like on the hour and 30 minutes later. Why not just shift them round a bit so arriving buses arrive 5min before trains are due to depart, and departing buses leave 5min after trains are due to arrive? Same goes for ferries (good point @Uroskin).
I agree. This is very important. Ohh, if only this was the case. It drives me and my partner mad. It’s like Auckland’s traffic lights. Has anyone else noticed how unco-ordinated they are? i thought they were suppose to be automated. You go through one and then just a short distance down the road, the next lot are red. Brrr…..
Good point Uroskin. Ferry passengers get a bad deal with no co ordination at all.
Hence the need for the public transport management act (PTMA) this piece of legislation (which Steven Joyce wants to weaken) is critical in allowing ARTA to push for better integration of timetabling.
Poor old Steven Joyce. C’mon.Jarbury Let’s not blame him for everything. He doesn’t sit in an office all day making up bus timetables last i heard his job description.
I ‘ve never been convinced shcedulers, or whatever their grand title is, ever use public transport so they dont understand the problem.
As James so well argues, its about time they did.
Careful Bryan22: I think you need to be careful here. jarbury (being a member of CBT and all) has quite an extensive knowledge of the PT system and the relative legislation. I’m pretty sure that if anyone knows who to blame in this, it’s jarbury!