Fares up, costs down, award won

Northland Regional Council’s transport team has won the national Public Transport Cost Efficiency Award for 2025/26.

Of the country’s 17 regional councils, NRC’s BusLink network recorded the lowest cost per capita, the lowest cost per kilometre and the lowest cost per boarding. The award is administered and presented by NZTA and Public Transport Association Australia and New Zealand.

NRC Transport Project Officer Anita Child says it is “a fantastic achievement that recognises our Transport team’s commitment to delivering an efficient and cost-effective public transport network across Te Taitokerau.”

Fares

“Bus fares increased across the BusLink network on 1 August 2025,” Anita says. “CityLink and SchoolLink services in Whangārei increased by $1 per journey, while BusLink fares on regional routes increased by 50 cents per journey.”

Even with those increases, Northland’s network still costs less per boarding to run than any other in the country.

Anita says infants up to four years of age continue to travel free of charge on NRC’s BusLink, and concessions remain available for Community Services Card and Gold Card holders.

“From 1 August 2025, the SuperGold concession was also introduced for the first time on the Bream Bay Link and Hikurangi Link, allowing eligible passengers to travel for free between 9am and 3pm,” she says.

Anita says the fare increase came as a response to central government requirements for regional councils to find additional funding to help cover the cost of bus services.

Passenger numbers

But low costs raise the obvious question- fewer buses? NRC says service levels haven’t moved.

“Passenger numbers across the network have stayed around the same level,” says Anita. “There has been no change in service levels, although there have been some small increases in patronage at times.”

There’s more to it than just the buses.

Anita says it is difficult to compare patronage directly with the same period, as external factors such as fuel costs likely influenced passenger numbers, rather than changes to the bus network.

Advertising

The award also recognised private funding contributions that help offset costs.

“This relates to bus-back advertising, where revenue from organisations advertising on buses contributes towards overall farebox revenue,” she says.

Visitors

The Far North, Mid North and Hokianga Links run through some of the country’s busiest visitor territory. Whether tourists are using them is another matter.

“We are not currently able to differentiate and measure visitor use; however, we recognise these BusLink routes will have great appeal to visitors to Te Taitokerau and have refreshed our website to promote them more effectively,” Anita says.

“We’d encourage all visitors to check out BusLink’s routes around the region at www.buslink.co.nz to see this most beautiful part of Aotearoa by public bus.”