16 December 2019

National is proposing to improve public transport by overhauling governance in Wellington and Canterbury, providing greater support for ride-sharing, and accelerating the rollout of integrated ticketing, Transport spokesperson Chris Bishop says.

“The great modern cities of the world all have multi-modal transport systems where public transport, walking, cycling, and increasingly scootering are valued parts of everyday life.”

“National has a strong record on public transport. We spent $2 billion from 2008 to 2017, helping lift public transport use to record highs. We also invested more than $2.5 billion to electrify the Auckland and Wellington rail networks, and get the City Rail Link underway.

“We believe public transport governance is too fragmented in this country, with opaque accountability and no clear delineation of which agency is responsible for each part of the network. This is diluting the quality of service for commuters.

“The new Wellington bus network has been a disaster with the regional council, city council and NZTA all blaming each other for the fiasco rather than doing something about it.

“National is proposing new regional transport authorities in Wellington and Canterbury that will have sole-charge over public transport, as well as cycling, parking and roading.

“Ride-sharing, particularly carpooling, has a role to play in decongesting cities and solving the first mile/last mile problem of how best to get people to and from bus and rail stops.

“We will encourage public transport authorities to partner with ride-sharing companies to better connect people with public transport in an efficient and affordable way.

“It is unacceptable that people have been using bank cards and phones to pay for London’s Tube since 2004 but train users in Wellington still pay with coins and cardboard tickets. National is proposing to accelerate the rollout of integrated ticketing nationwide.”

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