Auckland Council must abandon foolish effort to compete with Uber

26 NOVEMBER 2018

The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is calling on Mayor Phil Goff to pull the plug on AT Metro and prevent further harm to ratepayers and taxpayers.

Ratepayers’ Alliance spokeswoman Jo Holmes says, “As we said back in January, AT Metro is unlikely to represent good value for ratepayers and taxpayers. Even Uber, which has operated for years, has failed to produce profits.”

“So, who will foot the bill for this service’s losses? Inevitably, it will be ratepayers and taxpayers, who on average earn considerably less than the handful of Devonport residents who will use this service.”

“The service was meant to launch mid-year, and in the period of its delay we have already seen the emergence of new commercial services like Onzo and Lime which serve similar functions, without a ratepayer subsidy.”

“Already, this project has absorbed over $1.4 million from taxpayers and ratepayers, with an ongoing subsidy of $14 per ride. It’s a classic case of the Council getting distracted from its core responsibilities, and throwing money at projects that would better be handled by private groups.”

ENDS

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