ARC welcomes public transport law change

11 September 2008

Auckland Regional Council (ARC) chairman Michael Lee says the adoption of a revised Public Transport Management Bill is good news for Auckland.

The Bill was passed under urgency by Parliament this morning, following changes introduced during its third reading.

Michael Lee says the eleventh hour changes gave Auckland what it needed: the ability to design a fully integrated public transport system, including fully contracted bus services.  “In other words, buses will work in conjunction with rail services, rather than competing with them.”

“The ARC has worked hard for years to encourage the Government to provide it with greater powers over the way it manages public transport service contracts,” Mr Lee says.

“At last we will be able to see what services are succeeding and those that are not.  That transparency will ensure subsidies are well directed and ensure value-for-money for ratepayers, taxpayers and customers.

“We can now move forward confident in the knowledge that the Auckland Regional Transport Authority will have the tools to better manage public transport contracting arrangements in the best interests of ratepayers and customers.

“The previous legislation was inadequate and I would like to congratulate the Government for listening and responding to our long-held concerns.”

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