HOP card fiasco Mayor's responsibility

Mayor Len Brown needs to take responsibility, not reach for lawyers on costly HOP card fiasco

Comment by Auckland Councillor Cameron Brewer – 26 June 2012:

The fifth highest priority in the Mayor’s 100 projects in 100 days was “integrated ticketing for public transport”.

This followed a constant promise on the election campaign trail that he would waste no time rolling out the much needed system. In fact upon taking office he promised to “advance the development of an integrated ticketing scheme to be operational for Rugby World Cup.” However, when the Mayor’s projects were objectively assessed 100 days later, in February 2011, Auckland Transport acknowledged that it would deliver just phase one of three phases of an integrated ticketing system in time for the Rugby World Cup.

Eighteen months after that first back down, the $98m project ($42m from ratepayers) is in “deep trouble” with NZ Bus now expecting to miss the promised November delivery date reports the Herald.

Auckland Transport is pointing the finger to card and machine supplier Snapper Services for supposedly running late on ensuring its smart card system for NZ Buses is compatibility with that of a universal HOP card system which French technology company Thales won the contract to develop in 2009 – to include all Auckland bus operators, ferry and rail services. The Labour Party is blaming the Government for letting Infratil’s Snapper loose on NZ Buses before a wider card could be developed, with the Mayor now waking up and saying Snapper's alleged failure was "not good enough".

But hang on it was the Mayor who promised Aucklanders that he would ensure integrated ticketing was successfully rolled out with no time wasted. Well nearly two years on under his watch and it's not looking good. The Mayor has simply taken his eyes off the prize – one of his highest priorities and biggest promises he made to the people of Auckland. The Mayor’s latest response: “We have taken steps to get our lawyers involved…”

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