Bus fares across Taranaki look set to increase from July, in response to a Government directive that will result in public transport fares rising across the country.
Taranaki Regional Council’s Executive, Audit & Risk Committee yesterday recommended the Council adopt a 25% fare increase for adults and an average 13.5% increase for youth from 1 July 2025.
This means a Citylink ride within the New Plymouth district will go from a flat $2 to $2.25 for youth and $2.50 for adults (with a Bee Card). A Connector journey from Hāwera to New Plymouth goes from a flat $5 to $5.70 and $6.25 for youth and adults respectively (with a Bee Card)
The Government's Policy Statement for Land Transport 2024 set an expectation that all transport authorities increase the private share of revenue. Private share includes fares and commercial revenue such as advertising. The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) responded by setting a private share target for each authority, including the Council.
Council Transport Manager Cheryl Gazley says the Council advocated for a reduced target, which NZTA has agreed to in principle.
“We know many people are struggling and every cent matters. Unfortunately, a fare rise was unavoidable, but we’ve done our best to keep it as reasonable as possible.”
She hopes the re-introduction of a youth concession for 5 to 18-year-olds after a five-year absence will help mitigate the impact on families, many of whom rely on school bus services for their children.
“It has been a tough decision to make. We had to balance the need to increase private share revenue with affordability and accessibility for our passengers.
“We’ve made concerted efforts in recent years to reduce costs and make bus travel more attractive and we still believe bus travel represents great value for money.”
Taranaki’s current fares are competitive with similar-sized regions, who are expected to make similar fare increases this year.
Ms Gazley says the Council is committed to increasing its private share in other ways, such as optimising bus routes to ensure cost-efficiency, exploring other funding sources and implementing an improved bus network, the work on which is well underway.
While the Council receives revenue from advertising on buses, it can’t generate revenue from bus shelters as it does not own the infrastructure.
Under 5s will remain free, while Community Connect and Super Gold concessions will remain in place. Passengers on Citylink services will still be able to transfer onto another bus for free within 60 minutes of tagging on to their first bus.
At yesterday’s meeting, Ms Gazley updated councillors on several ongoing public transport projects.
They include a comprehensive overhaul of routes and schedules, the roll-out of the national ticketing system in Taranaki and a new website, all of which are expected to go live in early 2026.
“It’s a busy but exciting time for public transport in our region. A lot of work is going on behind the scenes to give Taranaki people the modern, accessible and efficient bus service they want and deserve.
“We look forward to sharing more details over the coming year, so watch this space.”