Wellington public transport provider Metlink says fares will increase by 2.2% and the off-peak discount reduced from 50% to 30% when using a Snapper card from July.
Currently, an adult travelling off-peak from Karori to the CBD would pay $2.22, but with the increase this would bump up to $3.17. The peak fare price for the same journey would be $4.53.
Greater Wellington Regional Council agreed to increase fares in line with inflation and keep rates affordable, and continue off-peak discounts to ensures passengers still benefit when travelling outside peak hours.
SuperGold card users would continue to travel for free at off-peak times, with existing concession discounts still applying. Off-peak discounts do not apply to ferry and Airport Express services.
Off-peak travel times are before 7am for bus, and between 9am-3pm, after 6.30pm, and all-day weekends and public holidays on bus and rail.
Greater Wellington Transport Committee chair Thomas Nash said earlier this week the fare increase was necessary to keep costs fair across transport users and ratepayers.
“I don’t want to lower the discount for off-peak fares, but government plans to reduce its share of funding to public transport give us no choice. An off-peak discount of 30% still makes a difference for people in our community who travel at different times, and Metlink remains one of the only transport providers in the country with an off-peak discount.”
Metlink senior manager of strategy and investments Tim Shackleton said the company was working with New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) to set targets around public transport affordability and efficiency.
“Fares, rate payers, tax payers and the private sector all contribute to funding the public transport,” he said.
“Last year the Government set the direction to increase public transport revenue from non-government sources, and we are working with NZTA to set achievable funding targets from fares and third-party revenues such as advertising.
It was widely signalled that bus and train fares across the country would increase this year following a directive from the transport agency asking councils to hit higher revenue targets.
Earlier this month, Auckland commuters faced changes to public transport fares including a weighted 5.2% increase to fares, while bus fares have also gone up in Canterbury.
Public transport topics up for consultation in draft Wellington plan
In a statement, the Greater Wellington Regional Council said feedback was being sought on a number of public transport topics as part of the draft Wellington Regional Public Transport Plan 2025-2035.
The public were being encouraged to have their say on; new regional bus corridors, paying for parking at train station Park and Rides, pets on public transport, cash free buses and the redevelopment of Waterloo Station into a transport hub with commercial and community spaces.
Greater Wellington chair Daran Ponter said the area was expected to grow over the next 30 years, and the proposed plan would offer affordable investments to improve the passenger experience and encourage people away from using private vehicles.
“Given the high cost-of-living and reduced government funding, the plan strikes a balance by deferring the development of Porirua’s bus interchange and slowing down the purchase of new buses.”
Nash said to meet the needs of a growing population, the council is seeking submissions on the creation of a regional network of high frequency bus corridors.
The public could make submissions online from March 3 to March 28, before submissions would be considered by a hearings committee in May.
