The price of parking your car across Auckland is about to get more expensive - and the news isn't going down well with commuters.
From next week, the cost of parking on-street and at council-managed car park buildings will increase by a dollar an hour.
Aucklanders Newshub spoke to had mixed reactions to the news.
"Hard to say if it's going to make a big difference to me personally," one said.
One person thought they may need to take the bus more often, and another said they'll probably work from home more rather than go into the office.
"Absolutely it has to have some sort of effect on the way you travel, especially in the current climate," a fourth person said.
The new hourly rates kick in on Monday, alongside changes to price caps for the Downtown Car Park. They will actually decrease during the week to address low usage, but increase slightly during the weekends and evenings.
They're the first region-wide changes to parking charges in over a decade and follow a Letter of Expectation from Mayor Wayne Brown to Auckland Transport (AT) in December.
In the letter, he said AT should look at opportunities to increase external income and reduce reliance on rates. He said AT is currently undercutting market rates for parking, which is not appropriate in this environment.
Transport commentator Matt Lowrie said parking prices are currently disproportionate to increasing public transport fares.
"It makes public transport less inviting to use and it makes it easier to drive, and what that then does is make more congestion and makes it harder to find a park when you actually do need one," he said.
Heart of the City's Viv Beck said she'll be keeping an eye on how it affects visitor numbers.
"A lot of people don't have access to public transport where they live, so it's important people can actually get here and afford to get here," she said.
Auckland University students will also notice the change. The Auckland University Students' Association (AUSA) said it's more money students simply don't have.
"Society is doing it tough but students bare the brunt of that and things like this, although it might not seem like a lot, a dollar an hour, when you accumulate that over the week it's close to $60 or $70," said AUSA president Alan Shaker.
He said hiking parking prices aren't the way to encourage the use of public transport.
"Our public transport system in Auckland isn't up to scratch… so what will eventually happen is students just won't come onto campus."
Auckland's bus, train, and ferry network has been riddled with disruption over the past few years due to driver strikes, bad weather, and infrastructure upgrades.
Lowrie said there are plenty of places the money could be spent.
"Running more buses, for example, so if we're making it a little more difficult to drive, making it easier to catch public transport is really important."
But for now it's not just pain at the pump, it's pain when you park.
