Auckland Light Rail project
Auckland Light Rail project
What you need to know
In 2020, the Ministry of Transport commissioned MRCagney to research equity in Auckland’s transport system and to identify potential policy approaches to address inequities. Equity in this research refers to the different distributional impacts experienced by different population groups.
The report centres on the following three research questions:
- To what extent is Auckland’s transport system inequitable?
- What are the barriers to inclusive access in Auckland?
- How should equity considerations be included in transport policy and planning?
This report will help inform future work on improving equity in the transport system, both in Auckland and nationally. This work aligns well with our Transport Outcomes Framework. One of the core outcomes being sought by New Zealand’s transport system is inclusive access. Inclusive access is achieved when all people are enabled to participate in society through access to social and economic opportunities, such as work, education, and healthcare. In this context, ‘inclusive’ means that the transport system should be accessible to all, including low income earners, those with disabilities, and people of different ages, genders, sexual orientations and ethnicities. Improving transport equity will help reduce the barriers that prevent some people from fully participating in society.
The work to date
01
May 2021–Present
Report on equity in Auckland’s transport system released
Evidence from the report shows there is transport inequity in Auckland and this arises as a consequence of two main factors:
- transport disadvantage resulting from a lack of transport choices
- transport poverty resulting from when people pay more for transport than what they can reasonably afford.
The report concludes that of all the population groups investigated, people on low-incomes are the most uniformly disadvantaged group in Auckland’s transport system and that, above all other factors, income inequality is the biggest indicator someone will face transport poverty and disadvantage. The report provided research insights into other population groups, including Māori, ethnic minority groups, women, those with disabilities, older people and the LGBTQI+ community. The report presents a number of policy recommendations to reduce transport poverty and disadvantage.
Report on equity in Auckland’s transport system [PDF, 8.5 MB]