The Government will axe public transport fares for those under 13 and introduce half-price discounts for those aged 13 to 24, it was revealed in Budget 2023.
The charges will come in on July 1 and Transport Minister Michael Wood said a family with two children under 13 could save $30 a week.
“Transport is a big cost for Kiwi households,” Wood said.
“Half price fares for under 25s as well as Community Service Card holders and Total Mobility Users will help over 1.6 million Kiwis save money, and make it easier for people to get to where they need to go.
“Budget 2023 continues our work to deliver a thriving public transport network with more services, drivers, and passengers. Cheaper fares for an additional 774,000 Kiwis through this Budget, on top of the 895,000 New Zealanders made eligible for half price fares in Budget 2022, will remove a barrier to taking public transport and will help to tackle congestion and get Kiwis moving.”
Half-price fares for those 25 and over will end next month.
The Government will make $327 million available to public transport authorities (PTAs) from July 1 to deliver on the Community Connect extension.
The Ministry of Transport and Waka Kotahi will work with providers to enable them to introduce half price fares for under 25s and free public transport fares for under 13s.
One hundred and twenty million over four years will be made available for new electric vehicle charging stations, to be established in partnership with the private sector.
“This will expand the growing national network of EV charging hubs – each containing up to 20 chargers – to up to 23 hubs,” Wood said.
“This will see charging hubs every 150–200 kilometres on main highways, a public charger for every 20-40 EVs in urban areas, and public charging at community facilities for all settlements with 2,000 or more people.
There is a $279m investment in state highways focusing on slip prevention, flood mitigation and managing risk of sea level rise.
Waka Kotahi – the transport agency – has worked with communities to identify high-risk areas, including slope stabilisation at various State Highway 1 locations in Northland, and managing the risk of coastal inundation on State Highway 6 at the top of the South Island.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson also announced $6b in initial funding for a National Resilience Plan to focus on the rebuild from Auckland’s floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.
“It was unacceptable that basic lifeline services like telecommunications, power and transport links were knocked out for so long. It identified a serious basic infrastructure problem that this investment will help to fix,” he said.
“In addition to our $71 billion infrastructure plan over the next five years, Budget 2023 sets aside $6 billion for strategic investments as part of a National Resilience Plan.
“This investment will initially focus on building back better from the recent weather events. It will also include future proofing road, rail, and local infrastructure wiped out by the extreme weather, as well as telecommunications and electricity transmission infrastructure.”
SHARE ME