Christopher Hughes
Research expert covering Australia and New Zealand
Passenger transport in New Zealand - statistics & facts
As New Zealand is an archipelago, with three main islands and over 700 offshore islands, this presents specific challenges for the country’s passenger transport sector, and the resultingly diverse network encompasses private passenger vehicles, public transport and rail infrastructure as well as water borne transport and domestic aviation.
Examining public transport, Auckland Public Transport has seen steady month to month patronage across all its services. The company operates train and bus services in and around Auckland, as well as ferries on a small selection of routes. Service to service patronage followed similar patterns, with the sole exception of the city’s ferry services, which have seen a month to month drop in patronage during the first half of 2024.
Road transport
When it comes to road transport, the number of licensed vehicles in the country has seen steady growth over the last decade, peaking in 2024 at around 4.5 million total vehicles. Over half of this number were cars, with the rest of the total comprising a significant number of coaches and buses, as well as smaller numbers of motorbikes and other, less common categories of vehicle.Examining public transport, Auckland Public Transport has seen steady month to month patronage across all its services. The company operates train and bus services in and around Auckland, as well as ferries on a small selection of routes. Service to service patronage followed similar patterns, with the sole exception of the city’s ferry services, which have seen a month to month drop in patronage during the first half of 2024.
Passenger aviation
Domestic air travel is an integral part of passenger transport in New Zealand. Despite the coronavirus pandemic that caused global border closures and national lockdowns during 2020 and 2021, the country’s flag carrying airline Air New Zealand has seen mostly steady performance in both the number of passengers carried, as well as with passenger load factors. The same can be said for the airlines revenue from passengers, as well as general operating earnings throughout the same period.
