Cr Elliot Weir, of the Dunedin constituency, brought a motion to join the Free Fares Campaign to the council during its meeting in Balclutha yesterday.
After lengthy debate on the merits, potential costs and strategic fit of the campaign with council goals, councillors voted 7-5 in favour of joining.
A further proposal to commission a feasibility study on the effects of free fares on existing bus services in Dunedin and Queenstown, was also moved.
The study is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Cr Weir told councillors signing up to the campaign, begun by the Aotearoa Collective for Public Transport Equity in 2021, was free, and did not entail any commitment to delivering free fares.
By joining the campaign, the council would add its voice to the push to lobby the Government to make public transport more accessible and comprehensive, Cr Weir said.
During discussions, Cr Michael Laws said he did not believe the council should join the campaign.
"There’s no such thing as a free bus fare ... It doesn’t quite work that way in reality."
Cr Laws said the Government’s recent half-price bus fare initiative was likely to end due to its costliness.
"The cost to the taxpayer was between $130 million and $150 million a year.
"Oddly enough, that does not equate to free. In addition to which we have had to, as part of that half-price bus fare, step into a financial debt, and plug it with the ratepayers of Dunedin and Queenstown.
"We are transferring [the cost of] a subsidy to a majority of ratepayers ... to subsidise a minority."
Chairwoman Gretchen Robertson said improving bus service accessibility would benefit all Otago residents, due to environmental and social benefits.
"Sending a signal at this point, and not always being the council that waits and sits back, demonstrates we’re serious about public transport," she said.
Responding to points raised, Cr Weir acknowledged there could be a cost to the council in providing increased services to cater for an increase in free passengers.
"But do we not want more people using our buses? Is this not our goal?
"This is not a radical action plan or a policy, but it gives the national campaign just a little more weight ... [adding] to the 70 councils and other organisations that have already joined."
