Our intentions: Looking at Auckland Transport’s work to ensure that public transport in Tāmaki Makaurau is reliable
Effective, safe, and reliable public transport services can benefit New Zealanders by contributing to economic growth, relieving congestion, enabling mobility for people who do not drive, and reducing private vehicle emissions.
The reliability of public transport is one of the most important factors in public transport use and significantly affects passengers’ satisfaction. Reliable public transport services are essential in our biggest city, Tāmaki Makaurau. The city’s current population of about 1.7 million people is projected to grow to about 2.1 million people by 2048.
Auckland Transport’s purpose as a council-controlled organisation is “to contribute to an effective, efficient, and safe Auckland land transport system in the public interest”.1 Residents of, and visitors to, Tāmaki Makaurau expect reliable public transport services, and to be told when there are changes or disruptions to those services. The public expects to be able to understand whether reliability of the public transport network is improving or deteriorating over time, and the status of work to improve reliability.
What we’re focusing on
Our work will look at how well Auckland Transport works to ensure the reliability of bus, train, and ferry services in Tāmaki Makaurau and how it communicates with the public about the reliability of those services.
To do this, we will examine how well Auckland Transport uses information to understand how timely, safe, and reliable its transport services are, and how it manages and mitigates any risks to this through its processes and planning.
Through this work we also will consider the effectiveness of Auckland Transport’s reporting on the reliability of the transport network, highlighting good practice and any areas for improvement.
The difference we expect to make
Our work will provide Parliament and the public with an independent view on how effectively Auckland Transport is contributing to the reliability of public transport services in Tāmaki Makaurau. We expect this work to be relevant to other organisations with responsibilities for public transport services.
Our work will result in a report to Parliament, which we will publish on our website. We expect to complete this work in early 2025.
Please use the feedback form on the right if you’d like to speak to a staff member about this performance audit, make a suggestion, or ask a question.
1: Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, section 39.