By Bernard Orsman
Auckland City Council officials want to introduce a free shuttle bus service between downtown Auckland and Newmarket.
They are also keen to extend the free fares concept to the entire inner-city Link bus service in a bid to cut road congestion and pollution.
But the region's public transport manager, the
Auckland Regional Council, and the bus operator, Stagecoach, are wary of the proposal.
The council's principal transport planner, Denis Mander, said the shuttle service would use distinctive electric-powered vehicles to act as a "flagship" for an imaginative and environmentally friendly regional public transport system.
It could lead to bus lanes for the shuttle and other buses on Queen St. It could allow the highly successful Link bus service to be free of charge.
No route or costs have been prepared on the project, but council officers have asked for $500,000 in next year's council budget for an investigation and set-up costs.
The issue will be discussed at today's city council transport and roading committee meeting.
Stagecoach Auckland was cautious about the proposal, said its marketing executive, Russell Turnbull.
"You have to ask what it is you are trying to achieve. Are you trying to move people because it is free, or get people to experience more of the city?"
The Link service, introduced two years ago with a flat fare of $1, now carries more than 2 million passengers a year.
Mr Turnbull said making the Link service free would probably double patronage.
A Heart of the City spokesman, Alex Swney, said the business group had looked at running a free bus service several years ago but it did not have the financial muscle.
"We would like to work on this new proposal ... We may even be in a position to tip a bit of money into it."
