We are in a cost of living crisis and the Government and the Regional Council still insist on subsidising Te Huia passenger fares, whilst lower cost but profitable operators like buses supply a better, more regular and cheaper service.
The 11-month $5 million plus operating loss seems to be funding an ideological luxury for a group of commuters who could easily afford a $40 return bus fare rather than the rest of us subsidising their daily $180 return Te Huia fare handout.
Using mid 20th Century technology, there is no environmental dividend. The daily average of 245 passengers does not compare favourably to the 25,000 people who use the Expressway daily, so in truth the service is poorly patronised. On top of that, there have been questions over its safety.
It has become a white elephant no matter how hard the PR spin tries to depict it as successful. Long-suffering Kiwi taxpayers and ratepayers are funding a service for those who do not pay their fare/fair share.
How many re-starts do we give the service before we stop it? How long do we prolong the financial pain before we realise we are pandering to a privileged few?
We look forward to Te Huia’s annual audited accounts and an honest appraisal of the trial.
Unless the passenger numbers catapult into full train loads the service is doomed to be a financial, environmental and ideological failure at a time when we are in a cost of living crisis.
