AT Local, New Zealand

Overview

AT Local services Takaanini, Conifer Grove and Papakura town centres in Auckland, New Zealand. The demand-responsive public transport service is a fully-electric vehicle (EV) service, providing convenient and affordable transport for an additional 6,400 residents in Papakura. AT Local is an integrated service that allows passengers to access the service using an existing AT HOP card with access to the entire Auckland Transport network.

Key Points:

• Over 20,000 trips completed
• Over 3,000 trips completed in a month
• 2,500 passengers signed up
• 100 T CO2 removed
• 38% increased service coverage
• 43% car trips removed

The Problem:

Papakura Local Board is a fast-growing area and is outpacing the average employment growth of New Zealand. Auckland Transport has identified the need to decarbonise transport as a regional priority.

The Challenge was to create a climate-conscious and competitive travel option for commuters that improves access to services and employment opportunities whilst increasing ridership across the Auckland Transport network.

The Solution:

Liftango and Auckland Transport's AT Local service—a fully electric on-demand transport service—reduce carbon emissions produced by Auckland Transport by replacing a fixed route operated with diesel buses with a demand-responsive electric vehicle (EV) service.

The solution required integration with Auckland Transport’s Identity Management System and Payment Gateway to allow passengers to seamlessly transition from rail or fixed-route modes to the demand-responsive public transport service using only their HOP card.

A flexible break structure was implemented in order to manage and optimise EV fleet charging protocols.

Results

AT Local has increased ridership on the Auckland Transport network, increasing monthly trips compared with the removed route and now produces twice as many rides as the removed route and in June 2022, more than 3,000 passenger trips were recorded.

The removal of route 371 reduced 100,000 kg of tailpipe emissions per year to zero. Public transport coverage extends to an additional 6,400 residents (38% increase).

Without AT Local, 43% of passengers would choose to drive their car to complete their journeys. Therefore, the availability of the service resulted in a significant mode shift towards sustainable public transport.

Learnings:

Liftango was able to adapt service parameters to suit the unique geography and passenger demand of the service zone. This is critical for any DRT service as demand increases.

As part of Liftango’s ongoing support and service optimisation program, ride acceptance metrics continually improve.

“More people are now using AT Local than previously used the bus service that AT Local replaced. We are pleased with the service’s popularity out south and it’s been great to see the trial go so well.”

Christian Messelyn, Group Manager Public Transport Development