Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown is calling out the Labour Government over what he says is its inaction to address Auckland’s ongoing public transport crisis.
Brown, the National Party’s transport spokesperson, says nearly 10 per cent of bus trips in the city have been cancelled so far this year.
Aucklanders will be shocked to learn more than 269,000 bus services have been cancelled in the first nine months of the year, he says.
“This amounts to the cancellation of 8.6 per cent of Auckland’s public transport bus services this year.
“This is a significant increase from previous years, with data showing 0.57 per cent were cancelled in 2021, 0.67 per cent were cancelled in 2020, and 1.26 per cent were cancelled in 2019.
“Every cancelled bus service could mean someone is late for work or misses an appointment, which is stressful and undermines their faith in public transport.
“People start to believe they must drive a car if they need to be somewhere on time.”
Brown says while Labour “talks big on public transport”, its track record is a “system that doesn’t have enough drivers, hundreds of thousands of cancelled bus services, and a rail rebuild, leading to even more commuter chaos in Auckland”.
“All this will happen while Labour continues wasting tens of millions on light rail working groups which are going nowhere.
“Labour needs to ditch their failed light rail project and focus on getting the basics of public transport right, while also listening to Auckland Council and Auckland Transport’s pleas for immigration policies which could allow for more bus drivers to come into New Zealand and fix the desperate driver shortage.
“The Government needs to be focused on ensuring public transport is reliable so people trust it and will use it.
“Instead, Labour continues to forge ahead with its $29.2 billion light rail vanity project, which few Aucklanders actually want.”
Transport Minister Michael Wood recently announced the Government is supporting the transport sector’s efforts to stabilise the public transport workforce with funding from Budget 2022 to help standardise base wages.
“Our Government is committed to making it more affordable, easier and attractive for Kiwis to use public transport, so it’s crucial we have the drivers in place to get the system moving.
“Improving the conditions of drivers will make it easier to recruit and retain the workforce, allowing frequent and reliable bus services.
“The minimum terms and conditions were developed through discussions between operators, public transport authorities and unions on how best to improve conditions in the industry and stabilise the workforce.”
