Vineeta Rao
Auckland, June 22, 2025
Auckland Transport (AT) has been rolling out a number of initiatives to change the way the city commutes. From the Fare Cap Scheme to allowing bikes onboard buses on certain routes, the agency is trying to coax the public back onto the public transport system. The FareShare programme, their latest initiative, has been welcomed as a way for businesses to support their people and the planet.
By subsidising public transport costs for employees, FareShare is helping Aucklanders leave their cars at home while employers enjoy better staff wellbeing, reduced costs, and a smaller carbon footprint. As of mid-2025, 50 organisations have signed on to the programme, which allows employers to cover 25%, 50%, or 75% of staff travel costs, matched dollar-for-dollar by AT.
Richard Harrison, the General Manager for Growth and Optimisation at AT, says, “Within organisations that have signed up for this initiative, we see, on average, that a lot more people are using public transport. Right now, we are seeing an increase of 30% more people using our services.”
Public transport preferred
The numbers paint a clear picture of the success of this initiative. Since its launch, FareShare has supported 333,058 public transport trips, and commuters have travelled 3.2 million kilometres on buses, trains, and ferries.
Lory Costa, People and Culture Manager at Zozo, one of the earlier adopters of this initiative, said, “Previously, our transportation support was limited to providing parking facilities and reimbursements, which overlooked the needs of our public transport-using employees. With FareShare, these employees feel acknowledged and valued, and we have also seen a shift in commuting habits.”
“Some who previously drove are now opting for public transport, drawn by the convenience and cost-effectiveness of the subsidy,” she adds, stating, “This change has fostered a more inclusive, environmentally conscious, and traffic-reducing culture within our team.”
Meeting Climate Goals
Transport makes up nearly 40% of Auckland’s carbon emissions. AT is working on their fleet to improve this statistic by switching out its fleet to electric.
“We have been working on reducing emissions for the last five years now,” says Harrison. “We already have 130 to 140 electric buses in the fleet now and are working on converting the rest. In fact, we have even had a hydrogen bus in operation for a few years as a trial to see whether that might be a fuel type of the future.”
But that is just the beginning. AT has plans to further decrease emissions.
“All of our trains are now electric. And you might have seen recently, we have got our first electric ferry built which will be pressed into service after it has completed its fit out. In the next 10 to 20 years, we want to complete that shift from a diesel fleet to an all-electric fleet.”
Reducing car use is also a key part of the city’s Transport Emissions Reduction Pathway (TERP) and initiatives like FareShare help the city’s businesses and employers collaborate with AT to directly contribute to Auckland’s 2030 target of reducing vehicle kilometres travelled by 50%.
At least one large organisation has clocked over 1 million kilometres travelled through FareShare, avoiding around 127 tonnes of carbon emissions, the equivalent of taking 30 cars off the road for a year.
Flexible to Scale
Businesses with five or more employees can register by emailing fareshare@at.govt.nz. Implementation takes around a month and includes full support from AT.
The FareShare programme is especially valuable for employers with large workforces, many of whom live in Auckland’s outer suburbs.
Sam Lockie, the General Manager at John Fillmore Contracting Limited, says “Providing public transport options for our teams, especially those travelling into our CBD projects means we are playing our part in reducing carbon emissions. We know that every journey helps in the reduction of carbon emissions and traffic congestion, so we are excited about FareShare and being able to incentivise public transport for our teams.”
Looking Forward
As Auckland prepares for continued population growth and climate challenges, FareShare provides a practical, people-first solution. “I love hearing the two beeps when I tag onto the train and bus. It is awesome that Sandfield signed up for this initiative and opted for the 75% discount option. It was super easy to set up, too!” gushed Shania D’Cruz, from Sandfield Associates Ltd
Vineeta Rao is an Indian Newslink Reporter based in Auckland.
