Image source: Auckland Transport
Louise Baker, Technical Director at Vitruvius has been supporting Auckland Transport’s Public Transport Development team with AT Local since September 2022. AT Local is a new public transport service that doesn’t have a fixed route or timetable but operates within a zone. After a successful pilot in Devonport, AT Local was trialed in Papakura-Takanini with the aim of providing a first/ last leg connection to the two train stations. The one-year trial was a success, so AT made the service permanent from 1 November 2022. The next trial will be in Warkworth. More trials are planned in the future as AT takes a ‘pilot test and grow’ approach to expanding the service.
AT Local is more expensive to run when compared to a single fixed-route bus service, but a better option for customers in lower density suburbs. It can be a more cost-efficient option when replacing a rural bus network. There are now several on-demand services around Aotearoa, including Timaru’s MyWay, a trial in Tawa, Wellington, and Flex in Hamilton. Expect more to come because the government has announced that on-demand will be eligible for the same subsidies as traditional public transport.
Louise‘s experience with on-demand and shared mobility has included leading the team that developed the On-demand and Shared Mobility Roadmap and Programme Business Case, she was also on the Tender Evaluation Team that selected the panel of technology providers for the app/ routing software. Louise is a big fan of demand responsive transport- she planned and launched an on-demand service for a UK call centre way back in 2002!
If you’d like to talk about on-demand rideshare, feel free to get in touch with Louise.