Wellingtonians will lose out on 59 new buses and dozens of services, due to a lack of funding and the need to hit more ambitious revenue targets set by the government.
But passengers have been saved from huge fare hikes, with Greater Wellington regional councillors voting to adopt lower targets than requested by New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for private share – that is, the money made through fares and advertising – between now and 2027.
The council’s initial estimates put fare increases as high as 70 percent in the next three years, in order to meet the targets NZTA first put forward.
The need for public transport authorities to increase their revenue was set out in the government’s latest policy statement (GPS), which NZTA was charged with implementing on its behalf.
“This GPS will expect greater farebox recovery and third-party revenue by Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) in order to help support the increased costs that are occurring through the public transport sector and to reduce pressure on ratepayers and taxpayers,” it said.
