Transport gimmicks a waste of public money

Kiwis deserve to know that their tax dollars are being well spent. The money wasted on Drive Social alone could have paid the government’s contribution to a million public transport journeys.

The Government should be spending the public’s money on projects that will genuinely improve New Zealand’s transport system, not on expensive PR gimmicks, Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said today.

Green Party research has uncovered that National has spent $1.6 million so far on its ‘Drive Social’ programme, which is intended to introduce drivers to the people with whom they share the road via a Facebook app.

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) claims that 9,500 people have downloaded the Facebook app for Drive Social, at a cost to the public of $174 each. Facebook reports just 700 monthly users, putting the cost per active user at nearly $2,300 each. NZTA has also been commissioning CGI videos of proposed routes and putting them on Youtube – at a cost as high as $40 per view.

“National is wasting the public’s tax dollars on gimmicks,” said Ms Genter.

“It’s not surprising that people aren’t eager to open their private Facebook information to a government agency so it can share that information with strangers. I’m amazed that this initiative ever got signed off by the Government, let alone that they’ve spent $1.6 million on it so far.

“John Key’s strange outburst in defence of this waste shows that he doesn’t even know what Drive Social is. One has to wonder what other mismanagement of the public’s transport taxes is going on.

“NZTA’s computer-generated flybys of its planned motorways are expensive, failed propaganda. $40 per view is just a waste of money that should have been spent delivering transport services. Ironically, the videos depict these motorways, which are supposedly needed to reduce congestion, as being nearly devoid of traffic.

“Kiwis deserve to know that their tax dollars are being well spent. The money wasted on Drive Social alone could have paid the government’s contribution to a million public transport journeys. That would have helped alleviate congestion for all road users. That’s a more effective use of public money for smart, green transport,” said Ms Genter.

Additional information:

Written Questions on Drive Social (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

OIA response on NZTA videos

Article on Drive Social including Mr Key’s off-topic responses

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