Urgent meeting called over possible spike in bus, train fares

Public transport leaders have requested an urgent meeting with the Transport Minister over revenue targets that would see bus, ferry and train fares surge.

Waka Kotahi NZTA has sent letters to local councils and transport authorities asking them to increase their private share - that is, the proportion of the total cost of providing public transport that comes from things other than rates or government funding.

The targets would have to be agreed to by 19 December.

It would mean a Wellingtonian spending $10 a day on Metlink fares would have to spend $17 a day under the new rates.

On behalf of all public transport authorities besides Auckland Transport Greater Wellington Regional Council Chair Daran Ponter has penned a letter to Transport Minister Simeon Brown.

The letter stated public transport authorities would like to meet with the minister under urgency and asked for the government to pause the targets whilst collaborative research and testing could be done.

Ponter said public transport regional council had "grave concerns" about the time to respond to the targets and the individual targets for each council.

He also called into question the thinking behind the targets.

"The process to establish the targets appears to have been rushed and is based on questionable methodology followed by NZTA.

"We understand that a research project expected to provide some foundation for the approach to private share, is still at the commissioning phase."

The letter stated that the target deadline was unreasonable and unachievable for many regional councils.

In a statement, Transport Minister Simeon Brown said the government was investing a record $6.4 billion in public transport over the next three years.

"The government is committed to investing in reliable public transport, and the public expect that Public Transport Authorities are considering all options to find alternative funding for public transport services such as advertising on the public transport network," Brown said.

"Taxpayers and ratepayers have been increasingly subsidising public transport in recent years. We expect councils to find efficiencies to keep these costs down and to look at maximising alternative revenue streams such as advertising on the public transport network."

Brown said he was considering the request to meet on the issue.

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