Hot off the press:
Auckland announces free ride to RWC 2011 matches
Public transport will be free to all Rugby World Cup 2011 matches in Auckland for ticketholders, enabling fans to get to the game quicker.
Auckland RWC 2011 transport director Bruce Barnard says the free ride to games will mean people can board more efficiently without passengers having to buy tickets on the bus or train.
“This in turn means faster movement to and from matches which is the name of our game,” says Barnard who has successfully managed transport for major events such as the Australian Grand Prix and the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
He says the Transport Plan for Eden Park’s RWC 2011 matches, which was released last week, aims to get 75% of people out of their cars with the majority of these onto public transport for the finals and 60% for pool matches.
Free public transport for match ticketholders has already proven successful in getting Aucklanders out of their cars with 12,000 using public transport to the 2008 Bledisloe Cup test at Eden Park.
Auckland Regional Transport Authority chair Rabin Rabindran says making public transport the easiest and most convenient way to get to RWC 2011 matches is the key to the effective movement of the large number of visitors.
“Uncongested rapid transit corridors such as rail and the use of bus lanes offer the ability to move thousands of people quickly. The majority of our international visitors use public transport every day as a matter of course and more than 25% of Aucklanders on average are now realising that public transport is the easiest way to get to and from major events.”
Mr Rabindran said that the Eden Park component of free public transport for RWC 2011 patrons is being funded by both the Auckland region and the Tournament organisers Rugby New Zealand 2011 (RNZ 2011). Auckland’s contribution will come from within existing budgets.
The free ride will be available to fans on the production of a RWC 2011 match ticket for rail services within Auckland three hours before the match and three hours after the match.
For special event bus services the free ride will be available three hours before the match and between one to one and a half hours after the match or until all fans have been cleared.
Special event bus services to Eden Park will operate to and from Midtown, North Shore and other selected suburban destinations that include Botany/Pakuranga and Manukau.
Meanwhile bus services to and from North Harbour Stadium will operate from Midtown, Downtown, the North Shore via Takapuna, Orewa, Henderson and other selected suburban destinations including Botany, Pakuranga and Manukau.
RNZ 2011 says that free public transport has played a critical part in the success of other major events worldwide.
“We want all those going to RWC 2011 matches to have the best possible experience so we think a free ride to Auckland’s RWC 2011 matches will make a great contribution to that,” says RNZ 2011 Tournament Services General Manager Nigel Cass.
“This will really impress our overseas visitors as well as encouraging more New Zealanders to take public transport on match day.”
In addition to the free ride to the game, improvements to Auckland’s public transport service for RWC 2011, including a major upgrade to Kingsland Station, will leave Aucklanders with even greater public transport choices in the future.
For those wishing to purchase RWC 2011 match tickets, this week sees the last days of the first phase of ticket sales for Venue and Team Pool Packs. Applications close at 5pm on Friday 21 May.
On the one hand this is very sensible, to get as many people on public transport rather than clogging the streets around Eden Park with cars. However, on the other hand a lot of public money has gone into capacity upgrades (particularly of Kingsland station) specifically for RWC games. So it seems a bit strange that none of that investment will be recouped.
I suppose that with integrated ticketing only going to be “partly operational” for the World Cup, it would be pretty embarrassing seeing clippies going up and down the trains, so perhaps that’s the answer?
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Why should my rates go to rugby fans..? World cup-itis strikes again…
I knew it was bad news when Banks & Len Brown decided to allow Councils to secure a 30-something million loan to the rugby folks because the BANKS WOULD NOT LEND THEM THE MONEY! We will never see that cash back. At least Len Brown was for backing that loan from the start, while Banks made noises about financial accountability and ratepayer values and THEN caved in.
I am all for “free” PT to events. But it should be recouped via the ticket price. Because the RWC is already going to make a massive loss for the organisers, there is no chance here.
Belgium and The Netherlands jointly bidding for the 2018 soccer world cup have offered free public transport and 2 million free bicycles to get to the games.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64D51020100514
While here in Auckland, Cycle Action was laughed out of court by the applicant traffic engineers when we submitted/complained that there wasn’t any cycle parking proposed at Eden Park at all.
Eventually they promised some, but I don’t think it made it into the resource consent conditions, so I’m not making any bets.
Considering how late the games will be finishing (11PMish-12AM) I’m not sure how far the return transport is likely to get me.
The cycnic in me says the govt doesn’t mind giving free rides on Pt to rugby world cup viewers cos that is their core vote. On the other hand, your average PT commuter they can pay through the nose.
From what I’ve read from NZTA the “free” transport in Auckland will only apply on shuttle services to and from events not general PT services where regular fares will still apply. Also much of the cost of these services will be recouped from NZRU. So it isn’t so much free transport as transport included in ticket cost.
As for clippies on the trains… there will be no room on the event trains for a clippie.
“Also much of the cost of these services will be recouped from NZRU” – if this wasn’t long before included in the calculations, even that means the money will still come out of ratepayer pockets. Unless they increase the ticket prices in response.
The Blues already do this for home games. Also, conductors rarely ask for tickets on very crowded trains (during special events).
“Also, conductors rarely ask for tickets on very crowded trains (during special events).”
Doesn’t mean they shouldn’t, it is obvious they’d need more staff…
There is already free ticketing for sport events at eden park, rugby, cricket or whatever they normally have the policy. Of course I think it’s a great incentive, but I guess you will always have hyprocaites who talk for increased incentives to get people out of their cars and onto public transport, yet when these incentives come out they criticise them.
In the end the logistic’s in getting people paying for public transport is so great, the resources required nigate any return, even with intergrated ticketing policing it for major events can slow the process down, so like any international city they make the PT free for these events, it incourages people to use them, and speeds the up the system to get people to the games on time.
Also I don’t think people have quite reliased the importance of the event yet, we are hosting over 80’000 visitors in which need to promote NZ, with out following international best practice, or even better we will not be effectively promoting our city/country.
Free Trains = the only way.
Joshua
http://aktransportnz.wordpress.com
It seems I’ve been called a weasel and a hypocrite on this blog in the last week…
Haha, Jeremy I can truly say that was not directed at you.
Joshua
http://aktransportnz.wordpress.com