Smarter Transport Pricing project gets underway in Auckland

The New Zealand Government and Auckland Council have begun a project to investigate smarter transport pricing in Auckland.
June 9, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

The New Zealand Government and Auckland Council have begun a project to investigate smarter transport pricing in Auckland.

The Smarter Transport Pricing Project will undertake a thorough investigation to support a decision on whether or not to proceed with introducing pricing for demand management in Auckland. Officials from the Ministry of Transport, Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, the 6296 New Zealand Transport Agency, Treasury and the State Services Commission will work together and engage the public to develop and test different options.

The first stage of the project, which will lay the groundwork for assessing pricing options, is expected to be complete by the end of 2017. However, any decision on the use of a demand management tool like road pricing is still some years off, according to finance minister Steven Joyce.

Transport minister Simon Bridges commented that work undertaken last year by the Government and Auckland Council found that smarter transport pricing could help make a big difference in the performance of Auckland’s transport system. He said smarter transport pricing could involve varying what road users pay at different times and/or locations to better reflect where the cost of using the roads is higher (i.e. where there is congestion). This could encourage some users to change the time, route or way in which they travel.

“The Government has also made a clear undertaking that any form of variable pricing will be primarily used to replace the existing road taxes that motorists pay. This is about easing congestion, not raising more revenue,” said Bridges.

Charging, Tolling & RUC

Related Content

  • January 31, 2012
    Managing congestion, better information changes perceptions
    Kapsch's Dietrich Leihs talks about the true fundamentals of urban pricing. In some Italian and German towns and cities, the solution to congestion is an outright ban on certain types of vehicles. As far as Dietrich Leihs is concerned, any attempt to sweeten the pill that is congestion charging is only ever going to be a partial success at best.
    Read More
  • September 7, 2017
    New Zealand launches transport app pilot
    The New Zealand Transport Agency has launched a free and open Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Marketplace app, Choice, in Queenstown. The app aims to connect users with services through an online marketplace, so they can pick what they want to do, use the live transport information to get to their destination and easily book their journey, all from one application and in three languages.
    Read More
  • October 28, 2019
    Why Netflix could overcome road pricing resistance
    As the US moves towards a national road usage charging trial, education is paramount – and subscription services like Netflix might help people understand why the money is needed, writes Bill Cramer
    Read More
  • September 8, 2014
    Rapid growth makes Texas an incubator for tolling innovation
    As the IBTTA’s annual meeting and exhibition heads for Austin, Mitchell Beer, president of Smarter Shift, considers the role of Texas in the development of tolling strategies and technology. The State of Texas has always prided itself on being ‘larger than life’. From the sprawling geography of the state itself with its wide open skies, to its entrepreneurial ‘get-it-done’ attitude, Texas exudes an impatient restlessness that pushes businesses and public agencies to deliver faster, better results. More ofte
    Read More

Highlighted Content