Population growth and increasing levels of affluence in Auckland reinforce the need for high-quality public transportation options. As reported by Litman (2010a), the growth in a metropolitan area’s population shifts the composition of potential mass transit users away from transit-dependent users, who are gener- ally low income or persons with disabilities, to discretionary riders, who tend to be more affluent than the captive riders. Moreover, demand for public transport services from higher income, discretionary riders is particularly sensitive to travel time, vehicle comfort, and other dimensions of service quality (Litman 2010a). In fact, in making his case for the superiority of commuter rail over other public transport options, Kenworthy (2008) emphasizes that the superior service qual- ity of rail is what accounts for its ability to attract patronage in relatively affluent cities more effectively than other transit options. Wang (2009) confirms that also Auckland rail attracts more affluent patrons. Interestingly, and contrary to com- mon misperception, Kenworthy (2008) also reports cities become more public transport-dependent and less auto-dependent as they grow wealthier. The findings of Kenworthy and Litman certainly reinforce the aforementioned claims made by Jakob, Mees and Dodson.