One Road, One Island, One Bus: Rethinking How We Get to Work
By Tearuru Raita and Joaquin Vespignani (Economic Planning Division, MFEM)
Kia orana. Many of you will have noticed more cars on our roads and higher prices at the pump. This article looks at what other countries have learnt, why our growing number of cars is a challenge for the whole country, and why the free Cooks bus (Cook's Island Bus Passenger Transport Ltd), supported by the Cook Islands Government, offers a practical way for all of us to rely a little less on the car.
The short version: more cars on our roads means more imported fuel and more pressure on Rarotonga's roads. The free Cooks bus is one of the simplest ways for all of us to help, and it saves money too.
What have other countries learnt?
New Zealand has faced the same challenge. When fuel prices rose sharply in 2022, New Zealand halved public transport fares. Research afterwards found that a small but real share of people left the car at home because of the cheaper fares, while many others stayed in their cars because buses were too infrequent or stops too far away (Radio New Zealand, 2023). The lesson is that price matters, but people switch when buses also come often enough, run reliably and are easy to use.
Why are more cars a problem here?
The number of cars in the Cook Islands has grown by more than half since 2014, around 4% every year, even though our population has not grown. More of the new vehicles are trucks, vans and larger cars that use more fuel, and the fuel used by cars has risen by more than half over the same period (Ministry of Finance and Economic Management [MFEM], 2026).
All of that fuel arrives by ship. In April 2026, a key shipping route in the Middle East that carries much of the world's oil was disrupted. Since then, the price of diesel on Rarotonga has gone up by 49%, and every extra car leaves us more exposed to the price and timing of the next shipment (MFEM, 2026).
The pressure is greatest on Rarotonga, where almost three-quarters of Cook Islanders live. The island relies on one main coastal road, set between the lagoon and the mountainous interior, with little room to widen it or add new routes. Since 2020, car numbers have kept rising while the population has fallen slightly, so there are now noticeably more cars for every resident (MFEM, 2026). Car numbers have grown by around 4% a year since 2014 (MFEM, 2026), and our roads, parking and other transport infrastructure have struggled to keep up. If vehicle numbers keep growing faster than the population, Rarotonga can expect more congestion on the main road and in town, faster wear on the road surface, and growing demand for new roads and parking. On current trends, this path is not sustainable, either for the environment or for the public purse (MFEM, 2026).
Why does the bus suit Rarotonga?
Rarotonga is well suited to public transport. One coastal road of about 32km circles the island, and most homes, workplaces and schools sit close to it. Unlike cities with complex networks of routes and transfers, the Cooks bus simply runs clockwise and anticlockwise around that road, alongside dedicated school runs (Cook's Island Bus Passenger Transport Ltd, n.d). A full circuit takes about 50 minutes, and passengers can wave the bus down anywhere along the main road (Cook Islands Pocket Guide, 2024). Because the bus runs the same loop whether it carries five passengers or fifty, each extra rider adds very little to its cost. The more of us who ride, the better value the service becomes.
How has the free bus worked so far?
Since the bus became free for eligible students and residents from April 2026, people have responded strongly. Journeys rose by more than 70% on the same period in 2025, and in July they doubled. The number of active bus cards rose by around two-thirds, so many of these are new riders rather than existing passengers travelling more. Before fares were free, journeys had been falling (MFEM, 2026).
Description: The graph on the left shows the estimated number of cars on the road each year since 2014, which has grown by over half, apart from a short pause during COVID-19. The graph on the right shows how much bus journeys rose in each month since free travel began, compared with the same month in 2025. Side by side, they show that while car numbers keep climbing, the free bus is already drawing many more people onto the bus.
How much fuel can we save?
Every trip taken on the bus instead of in a car saves fuel. A car driven to work and back each weekday, about 8 km each way, uses about 6 litres a week, or around 312 litres a year (MFEM, 2026). A commuter who switches to the bus saves that fuel and the money it costs. Across the island, if half of the extra bus trips since April replace a car trip, the free bus is already saving about 12,600 litres of fuel a year (MFEM, 2026).
Fewer cars also mean less stop-start traffic, and that matters: a car crawling in queues burns about 35% more fuel than one moving freely (Welch, 2026). In New Zealand, researchers estimate that cutting daily fuel use by just 5% would stretch the country's fuel reserves by two more days (Welch, 2026). For an island that depends on every shipment arriving on time, the same holds here. Each litre we save helps our fuel last longer.
What does this mean for us?
For households, the saving is simple. A commuter who leaves the car at home saves on petrol between (NZ$50-NZ$70) every week, and the bus costs nothing to ride. For the country, every regular rider means one less car on the road, less fuel to import and less wear on our roads. A steady Government subsidy gives people the confidence to build the bus into their routine, whether that means taking it to work a few days a week or putting off buying a second car (MFEM, 2026).
What are the benefits of taking the bus?
It saves fuel. A commuter who switches to the bus saves about 312 litres of fuel a year, and the country needs to ship in less (MFEM, 2026).
It cuts your transport costs. A typical car commute costs around NZ$22 a week in petrol, while the bus is free to ride for eligible residents (MFEM, 2026).
More riders can mean more frequent buses. As more people use the bus, the service is better placed to grow and run more often, which makes it easier still for everyone to use.
What can you do?
Try the bus to work. Even once or twice a week makes a difference.
Get a bus card. Fares are free for eligible residents and students.
Know the times. The clockwise bus leaves Cook's Corner on the hour and the anticlockwise bus on the half-hour (Cook Islands Pocket Guide, 2024).
Our final word
Rising car numbers and uncertain fuel supplies are a challenge we all share, but the free Cooks bus gives us a simple way to respond, and as public servants we can lead by example. MFEM supports free bus travel to work and school. For an island like Rarotonga, keeping the journey to work and school free is one of the simplest and fairest ways we can invest in our people and our future.
Meitaki ma'ata.
Economic Planning Division, Ministry of Finance and Economic Management
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