Residents question why Eastbourne ferry included in Labour's transport cap

10:47 am today

Photo: Supplied/ Greater Wellington Regional Council

Eastbourne commuters say Labour's subsidised public transport policy should not include their own pricey ferry.

The Labour Party announced the policy last week, which would see public transport spending capped at $20 a week for Wellington, Auckland, and Christchurch.

While Labour says people will save an average of $25 per week, those catching the East-by-West ferry daily from Eastbourne, Wellington would save $90 on a $110 concession.

Daily commuter Callum Sleigh said the ferry subsidy seemed unfair.

"It seems like a lot, it seems like a pretty big subsidy for people living in Eastbourne, which is a pretty high socio-economic region."

Eastbourne is a seaside suburb in Lower Hutt, where the average house price is above $1 million, according to Opes Partners' April figures.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins.

Photo: RNZ / Louis Dunham

Sleigh believed the discount was targeted to those taking the train or bus, and the ferry fell within the policy as an edge case. He said another option could be different subsidies for different areas.

Andrew, who worked in the public sector, said a subsidy on the ferry specifically would not be a good use of taxpayer dollars.

"It doesn't seem right that we'd spend a lot of taxpayer money on giving an easier life to Eastbourne people when they probably don't need it at this point."

Andrew said he would pay to use the ferry regardless of how expensive it was.

"Even if it was four times the price to catch this, I would still catch it rather than a bus probably, just because it's easy to access and quicker."

The policy did not affect Andrew's voting decision however, saying he was already leaning towards Labour. He would have preferred Labour's first election policy to have a more national focus, saying those in rural areas did not use public transport as frequently as those in big cities.

The policy provided a $10 cap on public transport for those in areas outside the main centres.

Ian Blixt, who caught the ferry to work each day, was excited about the policy. He believed the subsidy should be given out fairly, regardless of what mode of public transport was used and where.

"If you started trying to draw lines around different areas based on income, I think that would start getting really technical and messy really quickly."

Blixt said the discount would make a big difference for him.

Passenger Scott was a big supporter of public transport subsidies - but thought including the ferry was a step too far. He believed those in Eastbourne could afford to pay for more expensive public transport.

Scott, who caught the ferry twice a week, said the cap was too low, and particularly needed to be reassessed for the ferry.

Dominique Bray said the discount would give her more budget to spend on essentials. She said it was a good use of tax dollars, saying public transport was essential.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins defended the policy's costings in an interview on Morning Report on Tuesday morning.

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