Key themes

Improve public transport

For decades, investment in public transport did not keep pace with the demand for travel. Many people had little or no choice but to use cars, and those without cars were severely disadvantaged.

Public transport builds communities, enabling access for people to fully participate in society. It eases road congestion by moving more people more efficiently and is more environmentally sustainable than private vehicles.

Major investment in public transport over the past five years is beginning to make buses, trains and ferries both practical and attractive options. The Northern Express bus carried 1.5 million customers on the new dedicated busway in 2008/9. More trips were taken by rail than in any year since records began in 1955.

The Northern Busway and the rail network comprise the Rapid Transit Network. There's more work to be done on extending the Northern Busway to Orewa and extending an electrified rail network underground through the CBD, into south and east Auckland, to the airport and possibly to the North Shore.

With reduced travel times, more people can access key commercial and retail centres. For example, completing the CBD rail loop will result in more than 200,000 additional people being within 30 minutes' travel of the CBD.

The Quality Transit Network is a network of high frequency, high quality services including buses, ferries and some rail services connecting major centres. More bus lanes and special signal phasing will help improve journey times by bus. Continuing to install real time passenger information at stops makes bus use more attractive.