The grim reality for Auckland commuters who rely on their personal vehicle is they live in the most congested city in Australasia, according to new research from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), with secondary cars having significantly lower levels of occupancy and utilisation.

The report highlights that as point-to-point transport and other shared mobility services grow in prominence, when combined with public and active transport, they are an increasingly competitive and viable alternative to private-car ownership in major urban areas.

Entitled ‘What’s next in point-to-point transport?’, BCG analysis shows that private vehicles account for 90% of the total passenger kilometres travelled by motorised vehicles in Auckland – while public transport accounts for 5%. Furthermore, car trips in Auckland can take up to 48% longer during peak times – higher than Sydney at 47%, Brisbane at 39% and Melbourne at 38%.

Mariam Jaafar, Partner & Managing Director, BCG Singapore, says it’s clear that Aucklanders face considerable time at peak times to travel from A to B. “Our modelling highlights the congestion challenges faced by commuters in New Zealand’s largest city. The city’s high rates of private car ownership plays a large role to the problem – and the potential for increased shared mobility services combined with high-quality public transport options is clear.”

The research shows a 90% rate of car ownership in Auckland, with more than half (54%) of households owning more than one vehicle. The problem will continue to get worse with 68% of Aucklanders planning to buy a car in the next five years.

Furthermore, secondary cars have much lower utilisation rates with a 30% lower occupancy per trip – down from 2 people per car in primary vehicles to 1.4 people per car for secondary vehicles – and 29% lower usage frequency in terms of days used per week.

In the words of Amanda Gilmore, Country Manager, Uber New Zealand: “It’s clear Auckland commuters face severe headaches at peak times – and it’s only set to get worse unless we look for solutions that can help get people out of private vehicles and into public, shared and active modes.

“While car ownership has traditionally been the most desirable form of transport, we need to to make it more attractive for Kiwis to ‘ditch their keys’ and share the ride, or take other multimodal solutions including at the first and last mile. We’re committed to working with policy-makers and other businesses to get more Aucklanders moving, in fewer cars, delivering a more liveable city for everyone long into the future.

“With car occupancy and utilisation rates for second cars in Auckland at significantly lower levels, there is an opportunity to replace these cars with alternative transport options – provided in concert by a range of providers including public transport, ridesharing, bikes and scooters – and work together to solve the congestion challenge.”

In April last year we announced we would be acquiring JUMP to champion multimodal solutions. Early analysis of JUMP e-bike users in San Francisco shows how different forms of transport options can work together – with the subsequent launch of JUMP scooters offering additional potential.

Last month, we announced we’re rolling out an easy way for agencies around the world to learn about our offerings and to partner with us via Uber Transit. This included an announcement about our first-ever integration with public transit where, in partnership with the Regional Transportation District (RTD), Uber riders in Denver can now plan their transit journey with real-time information and end-to-end directions right in the Uber app.

Also in January we launched a new pilot program in Sydney as part of the NSW Government’s Mobility as a Service Innovation Challenge. In conjunction with Transport for NSW and Captain Cook Cruises, we are offering a new discounted multi-modal transport option, FerryCONNECT in Manly, to encourage commuters to leave their cars at home.

Gilmore added: “At Uber we believe we can utilise our technology to complement as well as enhance the existing transport network and unlock our cities for the future, and we are committed to working with other parties in New Zealand to reach this goal.”

 

The report can be downloaded here: What’s next in point-to-point transport?