Update - Te Huia SuperGold and child fare changes, stop added at Pukekohe

Te Huia will call at Pukekohe station and, from 30 September, child fares will halve as part of a suite of changes to the passenger train service by Waikato Regional Council.

During its August meeting, regional councillors considered the findings of an independent review of Te Huia, carried out to both reduce operating costs and increase revenue as a means of improving farebox recovery and reducing subsidy from taxpayers and ratepayers.

The preferred option recommended by the Future Proof Public Transport Subcommittee was to implement full fares for SuperGold passengers on the two peak time services Monday to Friday and introduce a 50 per cent fare for children aged 5 to 15 years.

The subcommittee also supported Te Huia calling at Pukekohe station to pick up and drop off passengers.

Councillors agreed the changes were a good balance of getting contributions in line with what’s happening nationally and increasing incentives for families to use the service. In a unanimous vote, the fare changes were approved by councillors.

The reduced child fares will take effect from Monday, 30 September, coinciding with the school holidays. The start of Te Huia calling at Pukekohe station is yet to be confirmed.

“Central government has sent a clear message that the reliance on taxpayer funding must lessen,” said Chair Pamela Storey. “It’s also important we look at ways to reduce the burden on our ratepayers. This has meant a necessary look at ways we can increase fare revenue.

“During consultation on our long term plan, we received a number of submissions which indicated there was a proportion of SuperGold cardholders willing to pay to travel at peak times on Te Huia.

“While there is the potential that some older travellers might be discouraged from travelling at all, projections suggest passenger numbers and fare revenue will continue to go up,” she said.

The first seven months of 2024 have seen healthy total passenger numbers on Te Huia – 51,371 compared with 69,379 over the whole of 2023. Of those, 18 per cent were SuperGold card holder on the two peak hour services and currently travelling for free; 3 per cent of all passengers were children.

“While children make up only a small proportion of Te Huia passengers, reducing child fares will ensure travel during the school holidays, in particular, remains affordable for families and continues to be a popular activity,” Cr Storey said.

The SuperGold concession will continue to apply all day every day on the council’s BUSIT services.