Public transport in New Zealand

Public transport in New Zealand exists in many of the country's urban areas, and takes a number of forms. Bus transport is the main form of public transport. Two major cities, Auckland and Wellington, also have suburban rail systems which have been gaining more patronage and new investment in recent years. Some cities also operate local ferry services. There are no remaining tram (i.e. light rail) systems active anywhere in New Zealand (except for some museum systems and a tourist-oriented service at Wynyard Quarter in Auckland and in Christchurch), though trams (and their horse-drawn pedecessors) once had a major role in New Zealand's public transport.

According to the Ministry for the Environment, the overall use of public transport in New Zealand is low, with only around 2.5% of trips making use of it. This figure is for the whole of New Zealand and includes centres that may have limited public transport. New Zealand was rated only 22nd in a survey for public transport use amongst 28 countries worldwide, with only 56% always, or sometimes, using public transport to reach work. At the same time, this share was much higher than for example in the US, with only 34% usage.

Considering the regions like Auckland, where the overall share is about 5%, this figure is comparable to numerous North American and Australian cities. However, use of public transport is higher in major cities, which have more developed systems. According to the 2006 census, 17% of Wellingtonians took public transport to work, as did 7% of Aucklanders.Wendell Cox, public policy consultant said in 2001 that Auckland's "public transport's downtown work trip market share is 31%" compared to Wellington's 26%. Cox further stated that no other centre in New Zealand achieved as high a market share as the Auckland city centre.

As can be seen from this table, there has been minimal increase over 5 years - public transport mode % of total trip legs by region (from NZ Household Travel Survey) -

Buses are the most common form of public transport in New Zealand, making up the majority of trips in every city that has public transport (and often being the only public transport mode available). They are followed by trains, which are found in Wellington and Auckland. Ferries also play a role, mainly in Auckland but also in other cities. Trams in New Zealand, while once common in many cities and towns, now survive only as heritage displays. Cable cars have also been employed; the Dunedin cable tramway system was both the second and second-last to operate in the world, while the Wellington Cable Car is now a funicular.

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