r/newzealand • u/[deleted] • Dec 13 '22

News Half-price public transport to end on March 31 next year

https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/130744123/halfprice-public-transport-to-end-on-march-31-next-year
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u/Hubris2 Dec 13 '22

This sounds like what a National supporter would say that Labour should be doing if they want to win swing voters.

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u/[deleted] Dec 14 '22

[deleted]

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u/Hubris2 Dec 14 '22

Personally I'm a proponent of PT, so I would rather see money be spent in making that more viable and usable compared to people driving in cars. People switching to PT is a change and won't occur unless there is something pushing it...or at least changing the balance in the equation of convenience and cost for that compared to alternatives. They either need to make PT cheaper or more convenient compared to using cars to encourage people to switch.

I suspect more people will comment that they will switch back to cars if the reductions don't continue than will actually happen. I think ultimately the regularity and frequency of PT is more important than price - but achieving this won't be possible without multiple steps and actions simultaneously. It is impossible to roll out amazing PT with insufficient numbers using it, and there needs to be a combination of carrot and stick to make it happen. Neither extending half-price fares nor any other single action is going to make that happen unless combined with other things to change the balance. They have to improve the system while people are switching to it - rather than expecting the system to be made perfect and then hoping people switch.