Aucklanders continue to flock to public transport at record numbers amid rising petrol prices, with Auckland Transport recording a decrease in expected cars on the road.

According to the fuel-tracking app Gaspy, the average price of 91-grade petrol has increased by 24.8%, and diesel has risen 63.15% in the past 28 days after the start of the conflict in the Middle East.

Auckland Transport (AT) said while the city was nearing the end of its seasonal peak, AT was still experiencing strong demand for public transport after a record-breaking day last month.

Auckland councillor Richard Hills told the Herald patronage figures were still growing each week, and the average looks to be up about 10% from the same time last year.

“We also have far more people using public transport than pre-Covid, just a portion are using it less often as flexible working is more common now,” Hills said.

Hills earlier announced that March 17 was Auckland’s highest individual day since 2019, on which there were 396,000 boardings.

AT said several other days also had high numbers, including Wednesday, April 1, with 383,000 boardings.

Hills said his own bus trips are “far busier”, and locals have told him they have seen positive outcomes on both cost and travel times.

“We’re seeing a lot more people reaching the $50 fare cap. So that means a lot more people are taking public transport more often than they were a couple of weeks before,” he said.

Hills said it is currently a good time to try public transport over the school holidays when it is less busy.

Auckland Transport director of public transport and active modes Stacey van der Putten told the Herald that before the conflict began the cost of public transport was roughly the same as the cost of driving a vehicle in Auckland, but things have changed.

“We can confidently say that the cost of driving 15km in or out of the city is now roughly double the cost of travelling the same distance by public transport,” she said last month.

Number of cars on the road decreasing

Auckland Transport weekly volume comparison. Photo / AT

AT said the number of cars on the road, according to traffic counters at 25 intersections across the Auckland network, has been reduced by 7.4% compared to expected traffic volumes for this time.

“This suggests that fuel prices are impacting vehicle flows on the network,” AT said.

The spokesperson said they haven’t seen any “significant difference” in the number of vehicles on major roads from this year and last year.

Fuel concerns

The Middle East conflict, with the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has caused global oil prices to skyrocket amid concerns over supply.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said New Zealand had 61.9 days of petrol available, 51.5 days of diesel and 50.1 days of jet fuel either in the country or on its way as of April 1.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she acknowledged the impact the increases in fuel costs were having on Kiwis. Photo / Mark Mitchell

This compares with a previous stock level of 58.7 days’ petrol, 52.2 days’ diesel and 46.2 days’ jet fuel as of March 29.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she acknowledged the impact the increases in fuel costs were having on Kiwis, and called for a de-escalation of the Middle East conflict.

“This is a tough time for the country,” she said.