Corporate

About Lift

Background

In late 2004, Auckland Airport began a comprehensive study into the issue of surface access routes to the airport. From the findings of the study, a number of initiatives were identified, including developing a staff travel plan for the airport.

The travel plan called lift, initially encompassed staff from Auckland Airport, Air New Zealand, Customs, HSMC, MAF Biosecurity New Zealand and Aviation Security Service (AvSec).

It has grown to involve 23 companies across the airport community.

What is a travel plan?

A travel plan is a package of measures designed to improve access to a workplace by identifying, facilitating and promoting travel choices. The aims of travel plans include:

• giving people cheaper travel options
• helping organisations with recruitment by making staff travel easier and cheaper
• reducing road traffic

Travel plans are seen as an important part of the jigsaw in the sustainable transport system and studies in the UK have shown that such plans can reduce the proportion of car journeys by at least 18%.

Why did we introduced a travel plan at Auckland Airport?

Each day, over 65,000 vehicles travel to and from Auckland Airport. With the growth in passengers and staff at Auckland Airport, it is expected that this demand will increase by around 90% by the year 2015, placing pressure on the roads to and within the airport precinct and causing frustration for airport staff and passengers alike.

With over 12,000 people working at Auckland Airport, lift's aim is to firstly encourage staff to think about getting to work differently, and provide practical travel solutions. These initiatives are being developed by staff who work at the airport.

The lift programme

The lift initiatives are:

  • Carpooling – this is a scheme when two or more people share a car journey to/from work. This is an opportunity to improve communication between people who work at the airport – carpoolers can be matched informally, by word of mouth, or through our online software
  • Improvement of the Airbus service – potentially better suited to airport staff, offering a scheduled service for passengers from the Downtown Ferry Terminal via Mt Eden Road and train station, with a fifteen minute frequency and generous staff discount.
  • Improvements to the existing Eastern bus services to Botany via Middlemore train station. 
  • The introduction of an Airport/Manukau City service. The Manukau service runs via the Papatoetoe train station providing a rail link to the airport.

Travelwise

Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) is working with a number of workplaces to develop workplace travel plans like the lift programme. The aim of the ARTA programme, called Travelwise, is to work with 30 workplaces per year to achieve a reduction of 3,500 cars from the morning peak.

Supporters

Organisations with staff involved in lift are:

  • Auckland Airport
  • New Zealand Customs Service
  • Aviation Security Service
  • Air New Zealand
  • HMSC-AIAL Ltd
  • MAF Biosecurity New Zealand
  • Glidepath
  • Bank of New Zealand
  • DFS
  • Lan Airlines
  • Airways Florist
  • Emirates
  • ACNeilsen
  • Pacific Blue
  • Menzies Aviation
  • Jet Star
  • Royal Brunei
  • Great New Zealand Shop
  • Glidepath
  • UTI
  • Department of Labour
  • Telecom
  • Kiwidiscovery

Check out our Travel Heroes