- By Laura Kvigstad, Auckland Council reporter
Funded by New Zealand on Air
A 2022 call for information on bus patronage from Howick ward councillor Maurice Williamson went unanswered by Auckland Transport (AT).
At the Transport and Infrastructure committee on February 16, Williamson called out AT for failing to provide him with information he requested last year.
Williamson said granular data around when bus passengers were getting on and off buses was vital when considering where money should be going.
“I went down and sat on the one kilometre of dedicated busway we have got and had my lunch,” Williamson said.
“I counted the number of people on each bus as they pulled in and went out and I also watched the cycle way behind me… not one cyclist drove past me the entire time I sat there and every bus had two or three (passengers) and sometimes only one.”
“If we are going to get a really good debate going about the contestability of modes and where the money should be going, to the Reeves Road flyover or the dedicated busway, then one of the really valuable pieces of information we need to know is how many people are using that.”
Williamson said he was able to find some publicly available information before AT had come back to him but was wanting to be “drowned” in more.
“It makes me excited at the thought that you will drown me with too much because I can process it.”
AT’s interim chief executive Mark Lambert confirmed that Williamson had asked for that information.
“We did commit to providing you with more granular data and particularly around the routes than that you are talking about,” Lambert said.
He said while it was not publicly reported, they did have the information he was after available.
