A new ferry service connecting Waiheke Island to Central Auckland launches today, but some residents believe the added competition will not fix ticket prices.
Prior to this week, Fullers360 had offered the majority of services to Waiheke, but from today, Island Direct is running 18 return journeys a day between the Downtown Ferry and Matiatia Terminal.
Speaking to Breakfast, Waiheke local Bianca Ranson said competition is not the answer — and locals need the ferry services to be publicly subsidised.
"We are a longstanding community of 11,000 locals and it is our lifeline to the city, so we have children who need to go to sports events, we have people who need to go hospital appointments, we're faced with one of the most expensive ferry crossings in the world.
"What we are asking for is equity, we are asking for is the same thing everyone else in New Zealand gets, which is subsidies on public transport, which Waka Kotahi has made the decision not to allow us to have."
Last week, it was announced Fullers360 would not have its fares regulated on the Waiheke route.
The news came after Waka Kotahi reviewed the exemption granted to Fullers360, which allows it to operate outside Auckland Transport's control.
Speaking on the decision made by Waka Kotahi, Ranson said it is both "really concerning and unfair".
"The way [Waka Kotahi] has made that decision is based on whether [Fullers360] is making a profit or a super profit, as opposed to the fact that we are the only public transport in all of Auckland and in fact nationwide that is exempt from the subsidies that everyone in the country gets."
Ranson added: "What we need is central government to make the right decision for those of us out on the island and make sure that it is fair across the country."
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