Bus fares in Wellington have been slashed for the next month to encourage people to ditch their cars and get onto public transport.
Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
This weekend marks the start of the cheaper fares on Go Wellington and Newlands Coach services, which will be on offer until December 20.
Greater Wellington Regional Council chairperson Chris Laidlaw said he was keen to find out how many people took up the offer.
"Well it's more than just a Christmas present for those who take the buses. It's a way of finding out how price-sensitive commuters are.
"We've held fares without increases for a few years and that's resulted in more people travelling on the buses which is a very good thing.
"So I encourage anyone who wants to take advantage of the cheap fares to do so, and to take the bus more often - in fact, do it permanently."
It was important to get people on buses to reduce emissions and traffic, particularly in the central city, Mr Laidlaw said.
The Wellington City Council has budgeted $200,000 for the initiative.
Councillor and Transport and Urban Development Committee chairperson Andy Foster said it was also an opportunity to get more shoppers and diners into the central city.
"There are a lot of wonderful things happening in Wellington over the month leading into Christmas, we want this trial to bring more people into their city."
The bus fares will be cheaper every weekend from today to December 20 and range between $1 and $2 depending on how many zones of travel taken.
The changes will exclude after midnight services and some other services including the Airport Flyer and Valley Flyer.