23 Mar 2022

Devonport ferry to be half price in govt's public transport plan

From Checkpoint, 5:25 pm on 23 March 2022

When the government announced public transport fares would be half price for three months, it was unclear whether ferry services would be covered.

Public transport fares across the country will be cut by 50 percent for three months, from April until the end of June, as part of the government's plan to address a cost of living crisis.

Transport Minister Michael Wood told Checkpoint he had been advised Auckland's Devonport ferry would be included in the government's plan.

"I've been advised today the Auckland Transport have come to an arrangement with Fullers Ferry to provide half-price transport on that service."

He said he had been encouraging Auckland Transport and the operator of the Waiheke and Devonport ferry services to come to an agreement.

"The bottom line is they have not wanted to treat their services as public transport services."

The negotiation for the Waiheke ferry would need to be between Auckland Transport and the operator, he said.

"Waka Kotahi and the government do not have a relationship with the operator, because they've chosen not to be included in the public transport system."

The Wellington cable car was excluded for the same reason, he said.

Wood said the eligibility of half-price fares basically came down to whether Waka Kotahi was involved in providing the public transport service. 

"We have also been able to include a total mobility scheme which supports the mobility needs of the disabled community and our two inter-regional passenger trains, the Capital Connection and Te Huia, because they're also part-funded by Waka Kotahi."

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