You and me both, RTM! But we all know that not everybody feels the same, that there are people who use the trains and buses, and every politician and his dog (if you'll pardon the expression Beagle;)) talk about the need to "enable a mode shift away from cars" (translation: get us out of our polluting gas guzzlers and save the planet).
But there are two factors I've seen mentioned over recent months which are worth considering.
Back in January AT said bus patronage was sitting at only 53.5 percent of pre-COVID levels for the time of year ... no idea if that's changed now, but I wonder how much impact Covid fears and people continuing to work from home are having? I personally know of two large corporates who are pushing people to return to the office - I also know that some people are strongly resisting that return on the basis that "we've been working from home for nine months now quite successfully, why rush back into the office?"
More recently, it was reported that Auckland Transport are running out of money to run public transport, and they're already looking to reduce some bus services that aren't used that much. There's a funding shortfall from NZTA, the City Rail Link is blowing way over budget (no surprises there), politicians are promising to scrap the regional fuel tax - which results in more funding issues - and everybody wants money for their own pet projects - be they cycleways, climate change initiatives, the Eastern Bus Route, you name it. According to AT it costs $500 million a year to run public transport (I presume that's just in Auckland) and it needs even more money to continue a "decent level of services".
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckla...CKYGSW67VXMZA/
Seems to me that there always be a core of people who will use public transport - for convenience, for idealogical reasons, whatever. But I personally think that increasing that number is going to continue to be a challenge without either (a) substantial improvements in the infrastructure, or (b) REALLY substantial disincentives to using your own car. And there doesn't seem to be the funding, or the political willpower, for either.