Public transport in Auckland

Auckland Transport (AT)
An AT AM class train at Parnell station
An AT AM class train at Parnell station
Overview
Area servedAuckland metropolitan area
LocaleAuckland region
Transit typeSuburban rail, bus, ferry
Annual ridership
  • 86.8 million (2023/24)[1]
  • Bus: 68.1 million
  • Train: 13.8 million
  • Ferry: 4.9 million
Websiteat.govt.nz
Operation
Operator(s)Auckland One Rail
Bayes Coachlines
Kinetic Group (Go Bus, NZ Bus)
Howick and Eastern Buses
Pavlovich Transport Solutions
Ritchies Transport
Tranzit Group (Tranzurban Auckland)
Belaire Ferries
Explore Group
Fullers360 (Waiheke Bus Company)
SeaLink NZ
System map
Map
Interactive map showing rapid transit lines in Auckland. Proposed lines are shown in grey.
A two-minute animation of a day's activity on Auckland's public transport network

Public transport in Auckland, the largest metropolitan area of New Zealand, consists of three modes: bus, train and ferry. Services are coordinated by Auckland Transport (AT) under the AT and AT Metro brands. Waitematā railway station is the city's main transport hub.

Until the 1950s, Auckland was well served by public transport and had high levels of ridership.[2] However, the dismantling of an extensive tram system in the 1950s, the decision by Stan Goosman[3] to not electrify Auckland's rail network, and a focus of transport investment into a motorway system led to the collapse in both mode share and total trips.[4] By the 1990s, Auckland had experienced one of the sharpest declines in public transport patronage in the world, with only 33 trips per capita per year.[5]

Since 2000, a greater focus has been placed on improving Auckland's public transport system through a series of projects and service improvements. Major improvements include the Waitematā railway station, the Northern Busway, the upgrade and electrification of the rail network[6] and the introduction of integrated ticketing through the AT HOP Card. These efforts have led to sustained growth in patronage, particularly on the rail network. Between June 2005 and November 2017 total patronage increased from 51.3 million boardings per annum to 90.9 million.[7]

Despite those strong gains, the overall share of travel in Auckland by public transport is still quite low. At the 2013 census, around 8% of journeys to work were by public transport[8] Per-capita patronage in 2018 of around 60 boardings was higher than most American cities, but lower than Wellington, Brisbane and Perth, and well below Sydney, Melbourne and most large Canadian cities.[9]

Auckland's rapid population growth means that improving the city's public transport system is a priority for Auckland Council[10] and the New Zealand Government.[11] Major improvements planned or underway include the City Rail Link,[12] construction of the Eastern Busway between Panmure and Botany, and the proposed City Centre–Māngere Line, a light rail line between the city centre and Auckland Airport,[13] which was cancelled by the coalition government in 2024.[14]

  1. ^ "AT Metro patronage report". Auckland Transport. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Public transport patronage the highest in more than 60 years". OurAuckland. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Sir Dove-Myer Robinson on his Rapid Transit Scheme – Part 4". transportblog.co.nz. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference SINS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Mees, Paul (February 2001). "The American Heresy: Half a century of transport planning in Auckland".
  6. ^ "Developing Auckland's Rail Transport – DART". KiwiRail. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  7. ^ "Auckland Transport Patronage Report".
  8. ^ "Journey to Work Patterns in the Auckland Region | Ministry of Transport". transport.govt.nz. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  9. ^ "100 million trips, how does it compare?". Greater Auckland. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Mayor Phil Goff's vision for Auckland". Auckland Council. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  11. ^ Orsman, Bernard (6 August 2017). "Jacinda Ardern outlines Labour's light rail plan for Auckland". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  12. ^ "Nine millionth rail passenger arrives at Britomart". The New Zealand Herald. 3 December 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  13. ^ Auckland Transport (24 March 2017). "Airport and Mangere Rail".
  14. ^ "Government Cancels Auckland Light Rail". Simeon Brown, Minister for Transport, Beehive. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.