The increase was due to take effect from 1 September but was postponed because negotiations with some operators took longer than expected.

Peter Glensor, Chair of Greater Wellington’s Economic Wellbeing Committee which oversees public transport, says the focus of this year’s fare increase is on multi-trip or stored value card (e.g. Snapper) fares. Approximately two thirds of all public transport trips are made with multi-trip tickets or cards. “These fares will increase generally by about five percent, which will give us an overall increase in revenue of about three percent. This will allow us to keep rates down.”

He said the Council decided a few years ago to try and increase different fares in different years to ensure the impact of fare increases was as fair as possible. “Last year, the fares for single cash trips and trips for more than 11 zones increased. Fares also increased to reflect the new GST rate. This year we’re increasing multi-trip fares.”

Historic Johnsonville train fare anomalies will also be removed from 1 November. “This brings Johnsonville fares into line with all other standard three zone fares. It also reflects the investment that has been made in the line in recent years.”

Special stadium train fares will increase by $2 per round trip for adults and $1 for children.

Cr Glensor said the minimum fare on the Wairarapa train for journeys from Upper Hutt, Waterloo and Petone to Wellington has been removed permanently. “It was removed temporarily earlier this year when we were experiencing serious overcrowding problems on the Hutt Valley Line. Clearly the change was well received and does not seem to have caused any problems for Wairarapa passengers so the minimum fare will not be reinstated on these trips.” The Wairarapa train minimum fare remains in place for all journeys from Wellington to the Hutt Valley.

He said fare increases were needed to meet ongoing and increasing costs of Wellington’s public transport network. “We know, and have had this reiterated to us earlier this year through submissions on the annual plan, that one of the things people in the Wellington region want most of all is a high quality, modern and convenient public transport network. As a Council we are absolutely committed to providing this but for a relatively small population such as Wellington’s the costs are huge. We try, through regular fare increases, to share these costs as fairly as possible.”

He said the fare increase was also in line with the Council’s farebox recovery policy which aims to ensure that about half of the costs of public transport are met through fares. Ratepayers and taxpayers pay for the other half.

City.Mobi

Also in New Zealand today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Wellington.

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City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.