Auckland Transport wants businesses to mix it up under Alert Level 2 and try different start times as we head back to work.

The Prime Minister has said safe physical distancing on our buses, trains and ferries means we can’t all turn up at the same time.

Mayor Phil Goff says the challenge is to get businesses up and running but not to have everyone travelling at the same time.

“I encourage businesses to look at how they can be flexible to reduce the load at peak times.

“This might mean staggering start and finish times and providing options for employees to travel off peak if possible. We should also encourage the option of people spending part of their work week working from home where they can do so productively.

In Auckland, passengers on trains, buses and ferries will have allocated seats – that will mean seated capacity of around 43 per cent.

AT recommends you plan your journey using the AT Mobile app, which now also displays how many people are on a bus or train service at any given time, or the journey planner on our website.

Marc England, chief executive of Genesis says the lockdown gave the energy company an opportunity to test new ways of working.

“We introduced a watch system at Level 2 with each team split between the home and office. With almost all but our essential operating teams at home, the learnings gained has seen our mindset shift from business continuity to business productivity.

“As we move back to Level 2 the weekly watch system is back, letting each team decide whether being physically together every one or two weeks will improve collaboration and productivity while keeping people safe in the office and reducing their impact on public transport and roads.”

Barney Irvine, Principal Advisor for Infrastructure at the Automobile Association says, “This is a time when the transport system and retailers are going to be under a lot of strain. As individuals and businesses, we’re all going to have to think a bit differently about how and when we get around our busy cities, to help spread the load.”

Heart of the City CEO Viv Beck believes, “That a simple idea of staggering start and finish times could make a real difference whilst physical distancing is a requirement, for those businesses that can be flexible with hours. This sort of thinking is also important to help reduce congestion at peak times and ensure our city centre is accessible for commuters and customers.”

Auckland Transport wants to hear what people are planning to do to manage getting about at Level 2. Post your idea on AT’s Facebook page using the #Tagteam

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