Subscribe to RSSWgtn 5% Fare Rise Planned
A 5% fare rise on multi-trip tickets may be confirmed by the Wellington Regional Council tomorrow.
It’s known at least 3 councillors will oppose the plan until the Regional Council changes the way in which it structures fares and makes progress toward integrated ticketing which is some years off..
A report to the Council notes that NZTA’s farebox recovery (the proportion of the costs of providing the service paid by the passenger) was within the target range set by Council (45-50%) but was forecast to fall below the target in 2012/13.
The Council had signalled that a fare increase Council agreed that a fare increase that generated extra revenue of 3% was required.
Council considered various fare increase options and recommended, as a basis for discussions with operators, a 5% increase in the price of multi-trip tickets. It is proposed that the increase take effect on September 1.
The council believes this would achieve its goal of a 3% increase in revenue for 2010/11 even if some patronage drops off as a result of the increases.
Fare increase. Time to get back on the bke.
The last increase in October last year increased the price of single trip cash fares as well as all fares for trips of more than 11 zones.
Multi-trip ticket prices (ten trip, smartcard, monthly and term tickets) were not increased last year (other than for the GST increase which took effect at that same time).
This year the increases will be applied to multi-trip tickets (generally 5%)
and not to cash single trip fares.
Some exceptions to this general rule exist – the increase is 5% except where
this would reduce the discount on multi-trip fare below the 20% discount
guideline for ten trip fares.
And rounding requirements have meant that some increases are slightly more more than 5%.
The report notes that until recently a minimum fare applied on the Wairarapa train. This was aimed at discouraging non-Wairarapa passengers (who have other alternatives) from using the train. The minimum cash fare is an eight zone fare ($9.50), and those using a Hutt Valley ten-trip ticket must pay a cash surcharge ($1 per trip on Upper Hutt tickets and $5 on Waterloo and Petone tickets). The minimum fare applies in both directions.
As part of the recent package aimed at reducing over-crowding issues, the
minimum fare was temporarily removed on services from Masterton (but
retained on services to Masterton).
Council officers believe this change seems to have been well received by passengers and not caused any implementation problems and so it’s to be made permanent.
One wonders when Auckland’s next fare increases will occur?
9 Comments
Oh God no…-.-’
Wellington patronage, especially buses has been flat since they put up their prices in October last year yet Auckland patronage has continued to grow rapidly, especially when petrol prices were sky high. This doesn’t seem like a smart move could backfire quite a bit.
It seems as though these days, Auckland officials are smarter than Wellington about PT, who would have thought that 5 years ago.
Matt L, perhaps that is what Steven Joyce wanted to happen when he hoisted on the ridiculous farebox recovery scheme to councils?
Don´t forget, Steven Joyce and the National Party are very much against public transport. It´s the trucking lobby and roads lobby which bank their party.
Jon R - Yes but my point is that Auckland hasn’t just been blindly following that and seem to be taking things like long term patronage impacts into consideration much more.
It is also more than just fares and patronage that I am talking about e.g. look at Aucklands upgraded rail stations in terms of design compared to those in Wellington, some of them are light years ahead e.g. Britomart, Newmarket, New Lynn, even the regular suburban stations look a lot better than their Wellington counterparts.
I just wish they would upgrade the Main Wellington station, like removing the platform shelter and just put it all under one big roof, and then go from there, most of the Wellington network has very little shelter.
hopeless, no strategic thinking.
Wellington really needs a ‘Wellington Transport’ to stop this ridiculous short sighted thinking.
Of course the real blame does lie with the govt, but GWRC’s malaise and lack of vision is long-standing.
They seem to have an attitude of ‘Our PT is sooo much better than Aucklands’ ; so all we need to do is keep things the same.
Aucklands per capita public transport patronage will easily pass wellingtons once the CBDRL and one of the other big three (airport/North Shore, eastern) rail lines are built.
Sydney’s cityRail is reducing it’s multiple trip tickets, monthly-yearly etc to help reduce that Monday morning que
Luke: GRWC is really hit big time, like AT by Stweven Joyces constant severe reductions in funding…with all the money being diverted into Roads of No Significance.
Joyce and his National Party colleagues are building white elephant roading projects to salute their incompetence.
Wellington’s ‘success’ has always been a poor model for Auckland, especially the fact that it is a terminus system, and likely to remain so. Something that we are going to breakthrough in AK then there will be no more comparisons. Although it is interesting to see how the EMU ownership is handled compared to WGTN