Aucklanders will have a day of free transport later this month to celebrate 100 million public trips taken in the past year.
Photo: RNZ / Laura Tupou
Trains, buses and most ferries will be free on Sunday 23 June to thank Aucklanders and encourage more people to try public transport, Auckland Transport said.
Mayor Phil Goff said it had been the biggest year of public transport use since 1951 when trams and trolley buses were still used in the city.
The milestone had been reached months ahead of schedule, he said.
Auckland Transport chairman Lester Levy said when he took over in 2012, the number of trips taken was just 70 million a year, and before Britomart opened in 2003, it was as low as 28 million.
Transport Minister Phil Twyford said the 270,000 trips taken on public transport every day helped reduce congestion on the roads, and was greener.
Mr Twyford said while the milestone was great news, there was still a lot of work to do to increase public transport use and several projects were underway.
