Auckland Public Transport: The good, the bad, and the ugly

When the editors that be at NileGuide asked us to write about public transport in our cities, I’m sure lots of NileGuide Local Experts were jumping for joy and thinking about fun things like tuk tuks, trains, bendy buses and elephants. Here in Auckland, well…let’s just say that I was determined to get you some info. I mean, there MUST be some public transport around here somewhere…right? If you ask most Kiwis about transportation they will immediately be picturing their beloved car in their mind. Kiwis are as in love with their cars as Americans. Hmm, I’m not quite sure if that is fair, so before I get flamed I should say that there are lots of us who would gladly take public transport if it were there, cheap and accessible. So, what does this mean for all you lovely visitors? Here it is in three parts.

The Good

Feet

I’m always bragging about how Auckland is one of the biggest cities in the world by land measurement, but the truth is that the CBD, the central business district of Auckland City where there are lots of cool things to see, is compact and very walkable. If you are staying in the CBD, you needn’t worry about transport at all until you exhaust the list of sights you planned to check out and then start to look further afield and think, ‘Hey, what’s that out there?’ You may need to brave the public transport to find all of Auckland’s secrets and good spots.

Trains and Buses

Britomart station is your first port of call for all info regarding trains and buses. Starting at the hub means you can get to most suburbs within an hour depending on where you are going, and the buses leave regularly during daylight hours. Some routes even have express buses during peak times and now that we’ve had a few bus lanes put in, bus journeys are fairly efficient. There are 10-journey value tickets you can purchase and also day passes, so if you are planning on using the buses alot, be sure to check with current pricing at the Britomart information desk in order to find out what the best deal would be for you. As long as they are going where you want to go, Auckland buses are easy to use.

The Link Bus is the jewel in the Auckland public transport crown. It basically travels in a big loop that takes you past areas of interest such as Parnell, Ponsonby, and Newmarket. You can travel all the way round the loop for one price.

Taxis

There are also taxis, which you are allowed to hail anywhere you see one by waving your hand. They are quite easy to find in the city, but if you want to get one from another neighbourhood you’ll have to ring one. They are not particularly cheap so it’s great if you can share with someone staying in the same place as you.

Ferries

Finally, if you fancy heading over to Devonport or out to one of the Hauraki Gulf islands there are ferries which can be caught at the Ferry Building right across from Britomart.

The Bad

Be mindful of the fact that some bus routes into the city have express buses on in the morning only. So, if it only took you 15 minutes to get in this morning and you need to go back out to a suburb to meet your friend for lunch, you’d better allow more time. The other things is that bus arrival times are approximate. This might take some getting used to if you are visiting form an on-time transportation place. But hey, you’re on holiday!

Many bus and train routes stop fairly early in the night so get ahold of a timetable from Britomart or on the net before venturing out or you’ll find yourself getting a taxi back. There are a couple of popular Night Bus routes into the suburbs and if you want to catch one you should arrive at the bus stop early to avoid disappointment.

The Ugly

Depending on where you are coming from, it’s always handy to have a couple of taxi numbers and a phone on you because the buses and trains are not always reliable. Usually, if anything, they are a bit late, but occasionally I’ve been left standing waiting for a train or bus that never came.

Trains, although they are getting better and better, don’t really go anywhere of interest except for Kingsland where Eden Park Stadium is getting its overhaul in time for the Rugby World cup in 2011.

Also, all roads lead to the CBD. In other words, if you want to go from one suburb to another, you may have difficulty unless they are both on the Link Line. And public transport doesn’t reach all the good stuff Auckland has to offer. It’s hard to get to more than a couple of city beaches via public transport, for example. If you want to go out to the West Coast beaches you’ll need to hire a car. And if you want to go to a farmers’ market that is out in the wop wops, you guessed it…car.

Images:
cscfo478.jpg [inside Britomart] by bcran on flickr
Waiting for the bus, Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand, 28 September 2007 by PhillipC on Flickr
A Link Bus every Three Minutes by Wonderferret on Flickr