Fare strike action in Auckland, New Zealand

Fare Strike for a Fair Service

Submitted by snagglepuss on Sun, 2005-06-19 09:02. Capitalism | Globalisation | News | News From Nowhere

Passengers weary of Auckland’s rail service conducted a spontaneous fare strike today (Thursday), refusing to pay the conductors for a train ride which was woefully late. Auckland’s rail network is plagued by delays because the Regional Council refuses to invest in consumer and environmentally friendly light rail.

Passengers, who are frustrated with frequent delays of up to 40 minutes, refused to pay the ticket collector for the journey which was unacceptably late. A stand off followed as the group of passengers were confronted with an irate supervisor, who threatened to stop the movement of the train. His threats were ignored, the train continued on it’s way and connex staff simply refused to charge passengers for their journey.

As Auckland’s traffic problems mount, the council is encouraging commuters to use other methods of transportation. But the regions council’s have failed to provide an adequate and efficient alternative to travelling in cars.

Public transport is inefficient and expensive. Private ownership of our public transport system has resulted in fare increases and a breakdown in services. Stagecoach and Connex are far more interested in making a profit for their foreign owners than on providing efficient alternatives to taking you car to work.