Auckland Council and Transport to Change Public Transport Fares

This came across while cruising Stuff.co.nz this afternoon while on lunch break:

Auckland public transport zones to change

 

TREVOR QUINN

Auckland commuters may soon get cheaper and more consistent travel through a zone-based fare system which would allow unlimited travel within a certain area and timeframe.

Auckland Council’s Transport Committee will tomorrow discuss different options for integrated ticketing and is expected to adopt the system after pulling out of a deal with electronic card supplied Snapper last month.

Despite the introduction of integrated ticketing, like the HOP Card, the current fare system does not adequately support the city’s public transport goals, city officers believe.

At present, short trips can cost more than long trips because of stage boundaries.

For example a train trip from Morningside to Grafton is two stages, while the much longer trip between Kingsland and Britomart is one. As each route has its own stage boundaries, there are a number of anomalies in the system for trips from one point to another.

A train trip from Sylvia Park to Britomart is three stages, but three to five stages by bus, depending on which bus is taken.

The new system would mean that users could have unlimited travel within a certain number of zones across a certain time period.

Seems we are advancing forward (finally) indeed. Now we await with what actual proposal Auckland Council and Auckland Transport come up with.

You might get a zone pass from these machines rather than the current Fare Stage tickets current on the public transport network