Public transport fare increase postponed

Fare increases proposed for Wellington’s buses and trains, due to take effect from 1 September, have been postponed.

Peter Glensor, Chair of Greater Wellington’s Economic Wellbeing Committee, which oversees public transport, says negotiations with some operators about the fare increases are taking longer than expected.

“Getting to a place where everyone is satisfied with the changes always takes a substantial amount of time but this year discussions are taking longer than we had expected. We’re hoping that negotiations will be completed soon.

“Although we can’t set a new date yet for the fare increases to take effect, we've ruled out 1 October as that’s right in the middle of Rugby World Cup 2011 and to have bus and train fares changing then would be too confusing for the thousands of visitors expected in Wellington.”

Peter Glensor says people who have already bought September monthly rail passes at the higher rate will be refunded.

The proposed fare increase involves a 5% increase to stored value cards, 10-trip tickets and monthly passes for buses and trains. There are also changes to some special Johnsonville train fares and cash fares for zones 10-14 (between Wellington and Waikanae and Wairarapa).

There will be no changes to all other fares set by Greater Wellington.

Peter Glensor says the increase will generate an increase of about 3% in overall revenue. “Like the cost of everything else, the cost of running public transport is increasing so fares need to be increased to meet those costs.”

Frequently asked questions

Why has the fare increase been postponed?

Negotiations with some operators, not all, are taking longer than expected.

When will the fare increase happen?

A date has not been set yet.

If I’ve already bought a monthly train pass for September, can I get a refund?

Yes, you can get a refund from where you bought your pass.

Why are fares going up?

The fares are being increased to meet the rising costs of providing public transport. These have been going up by about 3% every year. These costs are shared by ratepayers, central government and passengers. Council’s policy is that passenger fares should make up between 50 – 55% of the costs. An increase of about 3% in fares is required to keep this balance.

How much are fares going up by?

The average increase is 3% but not all fares are increasing. Most (but not all) cash fares are not changing. Most (but not all) multi-trip ticket prices are going up by about 5%.

Why isn’t the fare increase an across-the-board percentage increase?

Cash fares increased in 2010, so this year it is the turn of multi-trip tickets to increase.

It’s not possible to increase all fares by the same across-the-board percentage figure. This is because Greater Wellington’s policy is that cash fares must be rounded to the nearest 50c to make cash handling easy for passengers, train guards and bus drivers. It also speeds up bus boarding times. An increase of 3%, for example, on a $3 bus fare would amount to $3.09, which does not meet current cash-handling requirements and our policy.

Why are multi-trip fares going up and not cash fares?

At the 2010 increase, it was the cash fares that were increased, and the multi-trip fares (excluding zones 11-14) only increased an average of 2.5% because of the GST increase. This year the opposite is happening, so that the impact of fare increases is shared as evenly as possible.

Why are some of the Johnsonville fares being removed?

Three of the fares that applied only on the Johnsonville rail line have been removed. These are the Peace Train monthly, the 3 zone monthly and the school term pass. These three fares are historical oddities. Removing them helps make the overall fare structure easier to understand. Johnsonville Line monthly and term passes will still be available, but they will be at the same price as on the other rail lines. This will result in a small price increase.

Why are some fares going up by more than 5%?

Rounding to the nearest 50c and the need to maintain relativity between fares has meant that some multi-trip fares are increasing by slightly more than 5%. But most multi-trip fares are increasing by 5%

Some of the special fares are increasing by more than 5%. For example the special rail tickets to special events at the Westpac Stadium are increasing by $1 per trip for adults and $0.50 for children. These fares have been low compared to the standard fare on the line.

Other special fares such as the Day Rover, Weekend Rover and Group Rover tickets, and the after-midnight fares, are not increasing.

Fares increased last year for all 10-14 zone trips (affecting mostly users of the Wairarapa train), so why are those fares increasing again?

Yes, cash and multi-trip tickets for 10-14 zone trips went up last year, and are going up again this year.

For many years fares for zone 10-14 trips have been lower on a per-kilometre basis than all other fares. This anomaly has now been corrected.

Are harbour ferry fares increasing?

No. These increased last year and are not increasing this year.

Are the Airport Flyer fares increasing?

No. These increased last year and are not increasing this year.

What about free Super Gold card travel?

Super Gold card holders will continue to travel free on public transport during off-peak times.

Is a fare increase going to be a regular yearly event?

Yes, fares will be reviewed every year. Given that costs of public transport, like all other costs, seem to increase every yeear, then it is likely that fare increases will become an annual occurrence.