From next week, the cost of public transport in Canterbury is going up - as councils try to meet a directive from the Government to pay more of the cost of delivering the services.
The NZ Transport Agency has written to local councils, and transport authorities at the end of last year asking them to increase their private share, from tickets sales and advertising, rather than from rates or government funding.
In Canterbury the bus service has had a flat fee of $2 in a push to increase patronage, and the council pushed back on NZTA to keep prices moderate. They are going up to a flat fee of $3.
Each council has negotiated with NZTA and worked out a price increase before putting that to ratepayers.
Fares will also increase in Waikato, Taranaki, Wellington, and Invercargill. Northland's bus fares are going up from the beginning of August.
The BayBus service around Tauranga and Bay of Plenty increased prices in April, while the Otago Regional Council has agreed to raise prices but it hasn't set out when that will happen.
