Part 3: Better planning and monitoring of reliability and safety goals is needed

Reliability of public transport in Auckland.

3.1
To be able to effectively co-ordinate service improvements, it is important that Auckland Transport has clear goals and plans that describe how it proposes to achieve them. These are also important to provide the public with information about how Auckland Transport proposes to improve public transport services.

3.2
We expected Auckland Transport to have clear goals to improve the reliability and safety of public transport. We expected it to monitor its progress towards these goals by regularly tracking and measuring the impact of any work designed to improve reliability and safety. We also expected Auckland Transport to consider what else it might need to do if initiatives are not having the expected impact.

3.3
Auckland Transport has set five goals for public transport for 2023-31. Although we have seen evidence of a range of initiatives under way or proposed that are associated with these goals, the documents we were provided did not always describe the results or benefits those initiatives will achieve, when those benefits could be expected, or how the initiatives help Auckland Transport meet its goals.

Auckland Transport has goals that relate to reliability and safety

3.4
As noted in Part 2, several strategies and plans inform the Public Transport Plan, which is the main strategic document for Auckland's public transport network.

3.5
The Public Transport Plan sets out five eight-year goals for public transport. They are:

  • Goal 1: Services providing an excellent customer experience.5
  • Goal 2: Enhancing the environment and tackling the climate emergency.
  • Goal 3: Safe and accessible transport for everyone.
  • Goal 4: Integrating public transport into a growing Auckland.
  • Goal 5: Funding and delivering public transport transparently.

3.6
Auckland Transport's statement of intent for 2024 to 2027 explains its priorities for those three years and how they will contribute to Auckland Council's longer-term outcomes and the Public Transport Plan's eight-year goals.

3.7
The priorities in the statement of intent describe where Auckland Transport considers it needs to move quickly to improve outcomes for Auckland. These are:

  • Making every interaction count.
  • Taking public transport from good to great.
  • Improving network productivity.
  • Effective governance and advocacy for transport outcomes.
  • Value for money (including growing external revenue).

Planning does not clearly show how Auckland Transport will achieve its goals

3.8
We expected Auckland Transport to have implementation plans setting out how it will meet the Public Transport Plan's reliability and safety goals (Goals 1 and 3).

3.9
Auckland Transport's current statement of intent indicates that it will implement the Public Transport Plan through two programmes as part of its focus on "Taking public transport from good to great". The two programmes are the Public Transport Growth Programme and the Public Transport Service Network Optimisation initiative.

3.10
The Public Transport Growth Programme is made up of 77 projects that Auckland Transport says will "provide reliable services and customer experiences that accelerate patronage growth" in 2023/24 and 2024/25.

3.11
We saw information about funding status and a "definition of done" for each of the Public Transport Growth projects, but we did not see plans that set out milestones, timing, or interdependencies of those projects, or describe the risks to achieving them. We also did not see documentation that clearly described expected benefits or how these projects would achieve Auckland Transport's goals.

3.12
Documents we saw relevant to "Taking public transport from good to great" provided some evidence of implementation planning for other projects, including some information about risks and dependencies. For example, we saw a template where staff were asked to set out target outcomes, risks, prioritisation, how success will be measured, resourcing, and dates for activities. However, this documentation was not filled out consistently and sections were often left blank.

3.13
Overall, we did not see the level of planning needed to provide confidence that Auckland Transport will successfully implement these projects.

3.14
This also meant it was difficult for us to form a clear view of the projects Auckland Transport intends to complete, when it intends to complete them, and how much these activities will contribute to the goals in the Public Transport Plan.

3.15
In our view, ensuring that planning is completed for all strategic priority projects will enable Auckland Transport to provide a clearer sense of its progress toward the Public Transport Plan's reliability and safety goals. This is important to keep momentum and remain on target.

Auckland Transport needs to show whether it is meeting its goals for reliability

3.16
Improving reliability is a key part of Goal 1: Services providing an excellent customer experience.

3.17
This goal is described in the Public Transport Plan as being about providing convenient and competitive travel options that meet Aucklanders' needs, including frequent and reliable travel times and easily accessible information.

3.18
Auckland Transport staff told us that they understand how important it is for services to be reliable. They told us that it is a focus for Auckland Transport every day and described it as the crux of everything they do.

3.19
The Public Transport Plan has a specific short-term focus on fixing immediate reliability issues, including staff shortages on buses and ferries and mitigating the impact of rail closures due to rail infrastructure upgrades for the City Rail Link.

3.20
We have seen evidence that Auckland Transport is already working on these reliability issues.

3.21
For example, at the peak of the bus driver shortage in 2022, Auckland Transport needed 578 more drivers to operate Auckland's buses reliably. It worked with operators to reach the full requirement of bus drivers in late 2023.

3.22
Auckland Transport also responded to a shortage of ferry crew in late 2023 by working with the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, the Ministry of Transport, and the operator to set up a Ferry Accelerated Training Programme. The programme involved providing additional assistance (such as training and development and immigration assistance) to increase crew member capacity.

3.23
In 2022 and 2023, Auckland Transport cancelled some services at short notice because of a lack of qualified crew and because ferries were needed for training. Auckland Transport replaced some ferry services with buses and reduced the number of trips for other ferry services.

3.24
Auckland Transport saw these temporary changes as necessary to assist the operator to return services back to full capacity. By November 2024, Auckland Transport indicated that services were back to pre-training programme levels.

3.25
Auckland Transport has also invested in new electric and electric hybrid ferries.6 These are expected to have fewer mechanical issues than the operator-owned diesel vessels. The first ferry is expected to be handed over to Auckland Transport in September 2025.

3.26
For buses, Auckland Transport has focused on bus priority systems as part of its Public Transport Service Network Optimisation initiative. Bus priority systems use GPS units in buses and smart traffic lights to prioritise late-running buses at intersections at peak times. Dynamic bus lanes are reserved for buses at certain times. These strategies help buses run on time, especially in traffic congestion.

3.27
At the end of 2024, 75 intersections in Auckland were set up to prioritise buses that are running late. Auckland Transport intends to have about 20 more by June 2025. Auckland Transport's analysis indicates that the bus priority technology helps save about 30% of time on affected routes.

3.28
Dynamic bus lanes keep lanes available for buses during specific times. The first set of dynamic bus lanes is expected to be in place in mid-2025. Auckland Transport is working closely with Auckland Council and the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi on these lanes.

3.29
As discussed in As discussed in paragraph 2.17, Auckland's metropolitan rail network infrastructure is owned and maintained by KiwiRail. KiwiRail sometimes applies temporary speed restrictions to allow trains to run safely while mitigating risks associated with infrastructure defects or maintenance activities, rather than resorting to full line closures. Speed restrictions are one of the causes for delays and disruptions to train services.

3.30
Although Auckland Transport is not responsible for KiwiRail's rail maintenance, we saw evidence that Auckland Transport is proactively working with Auckland One Rail and KiwiRail to minimise the effects of planned maintenance work.

3.31
For example, Auckland Transport and KiwiRail have worked together on an asset management plan for Auckland's rail network. This gives Auckland Transport advance notice of planned disruptions and input into the sequencing of maintenance work to ensure that it can provide alternative services.

3.32
Overall, we saw evidence that Auckland Transport is prioritising and has progressed a range of actions to improve the reliability of services. These actions are aligned to its legislated purpose of contributing to effective and efficient land transport.

3.33
However, in our view, Auckland Transport could more clearly explain the results expected of each initiative and how those results will impact the Public Transport Plan's overarching goal to provide an excellent customer experience. Doing so would show that the initiatives Auckland Transport is prioritising are aligned to what it has told the public to expect – a public transport system that is fast, frequent, reliable, convenient, and safe.

Auckland Transport's goals for personal safety

3.34
When using public transport, people come together in what are often compact spaces. Challenges that some members of the community face, including mental health problems, addiction, and violence, can cause tensions in these spaces. Concerns about personal safety (feeling able to use public transport without threat, fear, or harm) can discourage people from using public transport.

3.35
Auckland Transport's role is to contribute to an effective, efficient, and safe land transport system in the public interest. It also has obligations to Auckland Council, as a council-controlled organisation, to make Auckland's transport system safe by preventing harm to people.

3.36
Auckland Transport's focus on personal safety is part of Goal 3 in the Public Transport Plan: "Safe and accessible transport for everyone". This goal has a focus on making sure public transport is safe for people of all ages, abilities, and identities, with fewer reported incidents and an increased perception of safety and security throughout the network. The Public Transport Plan emphasises the importance of integrating safety measures into the design and operation of the transport system.

3.37
We expected to see an overall plan for how Auckland Transport intends to address personal safety and perceptions of safety on public transport, the actions it intends to take, an intended sequence, and timelines for those actions. We expected a plan would also describe the difference these actions would make towards the safety goal and include measures to monitor it. We did not see evidence of this kind of planning or specific measures related to personal safety.

3.38
However, we did see that Auckland Transport has initiatives under way that respond to personal safety concerns on Auckland's public transport network. They include:

  • safety on buses, including training drivers in de-escalation techniques, installing protective screens for bus drivers, and fitting buses with closed-circuit television video surveillance (CCTV) systems and panic buttons;
  • extending Auckland Transport's CCTV network;
  • location-based initiatives such as Operation Haumaru, a collaborative safety plan led by Auckland Transport, the New Zealand Police, and Auckland Council for West Auckland transport hubs;7
  • planning an "active bystander" campaign to encourage people who notice harmful behaviour on public transport to intervene; and
  • improving the design of public transport hubs, stations, and stops, such as by installing better lighting.

3.39
Auckland Transport employs Transport Officers to help manage personal safety and security on the network and at transport hubs. Auckland Transport and its operators also hire security guards to support passengers' and transport workers' sense of personal safety.

3.40
Transport Officers are responsible for fare enforcement duties (such as inspecting tickets and issuing infringement notices) and are a point of contact for passengers. In April 2025, Auckland Transport employed 63 Transport Officers.

3.41
Auckland Transport also works with the New Zealand Police to respond to incidents on the network. In emergencies, Transport Officers are required to assist the New Zealand Police and operators. Auckland Transport facilitates information-sharing from operator staff and witnesses and provides CCTV footage to the New Zealand Police. Auckland Transport can also send safety incident reports to the New Zealand Police.

3.42
We saw examples of Auckland Transport's specific strategies and action plans related to other safety initiatives (such as the Vision Zero Transport Strategy, which aims to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on Auckland's transport network, including public transport). Auckland Transport's Safety, Health, and Wellbeing Strategy focuses on developing a stronger safety culture.

3.43
However, when we carried out our audit, Auckland Transport did not have an overarching plan for further improving the personal safety of passengers. We understand that Auckland Transport is now working on a proposed Crime Prevention Plan. The first phase of work is to analyse its information to identify trends and factors contributing to passengers feeling unsafe, examine responses to date, and propose options for managing crime on public transport.

3.44
Auckland Transport told us its Crime Prevention Plan will be in place by July 2025. We encourage Auckland Transport to prioritise this work. In our view, it will be important to clearly explain how personal safety initiatives included in the plan will contribute to the overall safety goal.

Monitoring and reporting is not well connected to the goals

3.45
The goals in the Public Transport Plan are monitored using performance measures. For Goal 1: Services providing an excellent customer experience, the measures and targets are:

  • patronage (150 million by 2031);
  • satisfaction (maintain current levels to 2031);
  • access to strategic public transport services (57% by 2031);
  • reliability at the first stop (98% by 2031); and
  • punctuality at the first and last stop (92% by 2031).

3.46
For Goal 3: Safe and accessible services for everyone, the measures are:

  • access to public transport services (maintain 90% to 2031);
  • access to public transport in socio-economic deprived areas (67% by 2031); and
  • access to late-night services (79% by 2031).

3.47
The Public Transport Plan states that Auckland Transport will prepare a monitoring framework to report its progress against the measures and report its progress with the actions and service improvements included in the plan.

3.48
The measures and targets in place for the Public Transport Plan are a good start. Auckland Transport now needs to monitor the progress and impacts of specific actions and service improvements. Auckland Transport also needs to monitor interdependencies between initiatives and any risks to meeting goals so it can appropriately manage them.

3.49
We reviewed Auckland Transport's monthly operational performance report. We were told that this internal report provides Auckland Transport with an indication of its overall performance.

3.50
The monthly operational performance reports provide monthly results for statement of intent measures, including reliability and punctuality, and indicate how many actions are on track, as well as any important insights, risks, and mitigation steps.

3.51
The reports also provide progress updates on the Public Transport Growth Programme, which is one of the programmes that Auckland Transport intends to use to implement the Public Transport Plan. Although the reports set out the number of on-track, in progress, and not-started actions, they do not specifically identify which actions are in each category. The programme is due for completion at the end of June 2025.

3.52
In our view, the monthly operational performance reports do not provide governors and senior management with enough information to understand the progress of specific actions. Auckland Transport told us that it will prepare a report for its internal governance and Auckland Council to update them on the Public Transport Growth Programme by August 2025.

3.53
To understand Auckland Transport's progress towards reaching its safety goal, we reviewed separate health and safety reports that provide updates on the risk of violence, threats, and aggression towards employees and contractors on the network. These reports indicate some progress with personal safety initiatives, such as installing driver screens.

3.54
However, Auckland Transport does not include the performance measures outlined in the Public Transport Plan for its safety goal in either the monthly operational performance reports or its health and safety reporting. Auckland Transport's annual report for the most recent financial year also does not include these performance measures. Therefore, it is unclear how Auckland Transport is monitoring this goal or where people can access information about its safety performance measures.

3.55
In our view, there are also opportunities to better connect Auckland Transport's safety measures in the Public Transport Plan to its safety goal, for example by considering the number of incidents and perceptions of safety on the network.

Recommendation 1
We recommend that Auckland Transport more clearly describe the difference planned actions will make to its goals for public transport reliability and safety, how it will monitor the progress of those actions, and how it will mitigate risks to achieving these goals.

5: This goal includes several aspects of reliability: service planning and network design, rapid and frequent infrastructure and services, quality and performance of services, and customer experience information and technology.

6: Auckland Transport did not previously own any of the commuter ferries.

7: Operation Haumaru was a New Zealand Police-led operation that ran for two months in 2024. It increased security in response to safety concerns at New Lynn and Henderson transport hubs.