Executive summary

Introduction

The purpose of this research project was to explore the ability and willingness of Aucklanders to shift some of their private vehicle trips to public transport, cycling or walking, and to inform interventions and services designed to encourage the use of non-driving transport modes. This report is the second report published from this research project.

The impetus for this research came from the development of the Transport Emissions Reduction Pathway (TERP),¹ which was adopted by Auckland Council in August 2022. The TERP gives effect to Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri Auckland's Climate Plan, which committed Auckland to halving emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Reaching this ambitious goal relies heavily on reducing transport emissions, with a clear focus on reducing private vehicle travel, making public transport competitive with driving and ensuring that walking and cycling are safe and attractive options.

The project was developed and undertaken by researchers from Auckland Council’s Social and Economic Research and Evaluation team (SERE) and Transport Strategy team, in collaboration with Dynata, an independent research service provider. An online survey was conducted between 20 May and 13 June 2022, gathering data from a representative sample of Auckland drivers. Participants provided the start and end locations for their most recent driving trip starting at home and were asked to select the route on a map that best described their journey. The survey captured geospatial data, including trip distance, duration, elevation, and latitude/longitude coordinates for the driving trip. Google Maps equivalent data were generated for routes involving public transport, cycling and walking.

Results related to drivers’ perceptions of using public transport, cycling, and walking compared to driving were published in March 2024 as an Auckland Council technical report.² The analysis presented in this report was undertaken by the lead author in partial fulfilment of a Master of Data Science at the University of Auckland, in an industry partnership between the University of Auckland and SERE. The analysis focuses on geospatial data collected in the survey. These data describe the origin and destination locations, distance, and duration of trips taken by car, and the Google Maps generated equivalent trips by public transport, cycling, and walking.

Approach

The survey collected 4448 complete responses from participants. Most trips involved a single destination while a small number included multiple stops. For simplicity multi-stop journeys were broken down into individual trips with a single destination for analysis. After data cleaning, 5233 trips are included in the analysis presented in this report.

To supplement the survey data, a shapefile for Statistical Area 3s (SA3) in Auckland was sourced from Stats NZ.³ Data from Auckland Transport’s Open GIS platform,⁴ which included bus, train, and ferry stop locations, was used to assess the proximity of public transport stops to trip origins. The spatial data collected through the survey contained errors which resulted in re-fetching trip distances and durations for driving, public transport, cycling and walking using Google Maps to improve accuracy.

Key findings

The driving trips taken by survey participants averaged 15km in distance and 17 minutes in duration. There were variations in average trip distance and duration across the Auckland region. The analysis identified four zones of interest. Zone A describes a cluster of SA3s in northern Auckland, Zone B covers a group of SA3s near Auckland City Centre, Zone C includes some SA3s in eastern Auckland and zone D is a cluster of SA3s in southern Auckland near Pukekohe and Franklin.

Trips starting in zone B tended to be shorter, averaging 9km in distance and 13 minutes in duration. A radial pattern was observed with driving trip distances and durations increasing further away from Auckland City Centre. Driving trips that started in zone D were some of the longest average distances (32km) and durations (28 minutes). These findings highlight the regional variation in the travel behaviour of Aucklanders.

Public transport trips referred to here were generated by Google Maps using the origin and destination coordinates of participants’ driving trips and are suggested alternative trips, not trips actually undertaken by participants. The average distance of a suggested public transport trip was 17km and took 57 minutes to complete.

The distances of public transport trips followed similar patterns to driving trips with trips in zone B near the Auckland City Centre being shorter (10km), compared to those in zone D (41km).

Google Maps suggested equivalent trips by public transport originating in zone D had some of the longest average public transport trip durations, averaging 1 hour and 48 minutes. In contrast, public transport trips originating within zone A, zone B and around zone B had shorter trip durations, most falling within 20 to 60 minutes.

A ratio was calculated to compare driving and public transport trip durations. On average, the duration of a public transport trip was 3.4 times longer than that of a driving trip (see Figure 1 for distribution of ratios across the region).

Analysis of the proximity of public transport stops to trip origins found that for 76 per cent of trips, the closest public transport stop was not serviced by a route⁵ that would take the participant to their destination. However, this finding may be the due to public transport stops servicing routes going in the right direction are across the road. On average, the nearest public transport stop that was serviced by a route to the destination was located 433 metres (about 5 minutes walking) from the trip origin. The pattern of proximity to public transport stops was scattered across the region.

On average, cycling trips were found to cover the same distance as driving trips (a ratio of 1.0), but they took twice as long (a ratio of 2.0). The longer duration was due to differences in speeds and the impact of Google Maps routing for cycling trips. Google Maps tended to prioritise cycleways, paths through public parks, and smaller winding streets, while driving routes were directed along motorways and straight main roads. This approach that may enhance cyclist safety sometimes resulted in longer distances and consequently longer durations for cycling trips. However, some of cycling trips had shorter distances and durations compared to driving, typically when trip origins and destinations were near cycleways or involved ‘shortcuts’ through public park paths. This highlighted how well-placed cycling infrastructure could make cycling a safer and more efficient transport mode.

Discussion

While there have been several changes in Auckland's transport landscape since the survey was conducted in 2022, including updates to public transport services and increased patronage, and a change in transport-related political priorities, the findings remain relevant for those involved in planning Auckland's transport future.

This analysis highlights areas in Auckland where non-car transport modes are less competitive. Public transport is most competitive relative to driving in zone B near Auckland City Centre but poorer in zone D (near Pukekohe and Franklin), while cycling follows a similar pattern.

Achieving the emissions reduction goal of the TERP depends on making non-car modes competitive with driving, as Aucklanders need to perceive them as convenient and safe. The findings show that those living in zone B have the greatest potential to shift from driving to non-car modes, but improvements are needed across the region to make public transport and cycling more competitive with driving.

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1. See: https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/plans-projects-policies-reports-bylaws/our-plans-strategies/Pages/transport-emissions-reduction-pathway.aspx

2. Perceptions of public transport, cycling and walking among Auckland drivers, TR2024/2. Report available at: https://knowledgeauckland.org.nz/publications/perceptions-of-public-transport-cycling-and-walking-among-auckland-drivers/

3. Available at: https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/layer/111235-statistical-area-3-higher-geographies-2023-generalised/

4. Available at: https://data-atgis.opendata.arcgis.com/

5. Routes are inclusive of transfers between services.

Auckland Council technical report, TR2025/4

March 2025

See also

Perceptions of public transport, cycling and walking among Auckland drivers