Greater Wellington has welcomed news of an Auckland trial which will see around 200,000 community services card holders receive half price fares on public transport.

Auckland’s Community Connect concession pilot was announced by Transport Minister Michael Wood and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff today as a key weapon against climate change and rising emissions. It’s hoped that the move would result in around 2.7 million more public transport trips in Auckland in its first year, helping to ease congestion and reduce emissions.

Daran Ponter, Chair of Greater Wellington, says the regional council is working with the Government to bring the trial to the Wellington Region.

“We’ve put a proposal to Government to bring a similar trial to Wellington. Being able to offer discounted fares to community services card holders will see a range of benefits for people in our region, It will bring increased access and affordability, equity, mode share shift and carbon emissions reductions.

It’s rare that one initiative can have so many good outcomes so the Government and ourselves just need to get on with how we can roll it out here,” says Chair Ponter.

The Auckland trial looks set to start in 2022 and will be made possible from existing fund on a 50/50 split basis between Auckland Council and Waka Kotahi’s National Land Transport Fund. It’s likely that any trial in Wellington would follow the same model with any lessons learned along the way incorporated.

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