The Greater Wellington Council will accelerate the electrification of its transport fleet to 100 electric buses by June 2023. 

This target is included in the Transport Committee’s priorities to reduce emissions.

Transport Committee Chair Roger Blakeley says priorities for 2019-22 are:

1: Reductions in carbon emissions

2: Increases in regional mode-sharing for public transport

3: Early delivery of public transport elements of the ‘Let’s Get Wellington

Moving’ plan

4: More funding for regional rail

30% cut planned

A key measure for these targets is the contribution to a 30 per cent reduction in regional transport-generated carbon emissions by 2030

“Our targets also include the further acceleration of the decarbonisation of the public transport vehicle fleet to achieve our own corporate target of being net zero carbon emissions by 2030,” Cr Blakeley says.

The transport-generated carbon emissions target meets the target in the national Climate Change Response Act 2002 of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

UN recommendation recognised

It also recognises the recommendation of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in October 2018, which recommended that countries reduce their carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 to avoid a “climate catastrophe”.

“Currently 54 per cent of Greater Wellington’s carbon emissions come from our public transport bus fleets, so this is an area where we are able to make major improvements over the next 10 years.

“Contributing to the regional target of a 40 per cent increase in regional mode share from public transport and active modes, will be the major contributor to a reduction in carbon emissions,” Cr Blakeley says.

The Transport Committee’s mode-share targets include an increase in public transport boardings to 44 million passenger boardings in 2022 – an increase from 40 million in 2019.

The ‘mode share’ of active travel and public transport target is set at a level to reflect aspirations for good, affordable and healthy travel choices as well as the reduction in emissions.