Passengers board a MAXX-branded ''Northern Express'' operated by Northern Busway.">Northern_Busway,_Auckland.html" ;"title="Ritchies Transport on the Northern Busway, Auckland">Northern Busway.
MAXX (styled as MaXX) was a public transport brand in the Auckland Region of New Zealand.
[ It was introduced in 2001.][ It included a blue livery used on some buses (rapid transit only) and trains operated for Auckland Transport (AT). It was also used for public information and advertising branding.][ AT Metro was officially launched in December 2014.
In July 2012, Auckland Transport (which replaced ]Auckland Regional Transport Authority
The Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) was the central co-ordinating agency for transport (especially but not only public transport) in the Auckland Region of New Zealand from 2004 to 2010. In this role, ARTA provided public transport s ...
in 2010) announced that it would phase out the brand, which was "weak and irrelevant" and had not achieved much public recognition, in favour of the AT Metro
AT Metro is a public transport brand in Auckland, New Zealand, managed by Auckland Transport (AT). It was launched in December 2014, following the decommissioning of the MAXX brand with updated bus and train liveries, staff uniforms, wayfinding ...
brand.
Naming and criticism
At launch, Auckland Regional Transport Authority
The Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) was the central co-ordinating agency for transport (especially but not only public transport) in the Auckland Region of New Zealand from 2004 to 2010. In this role, ARTA provided public transport s ...
deemphasised the question of whether or not the name was an acronym:
"MAXX does stand for something. MAXX stands for comfortable and attractive facilities for commuters; fast, frequent and more reliable transport services; and comprehensive transport information. MAXX is not another acronym, but a symbol of quality."
The brand was originally intended to refer to Metropolitan Auckland XXpressways, a brand developed by Auckland-based Sanders Design / Stephenson & Turner. It featured a dark blue livery and a 'pesky cartoon pūkeko
The Australasian swamphen (''Porphyrio melanotus''), commonly known as the pūkeko in New Zealand, is a striking and socially complex bird found in Oceania, including eastern Indonesia (the Moluccas, Aru and Kai Islands), Papua New Guinea, New ...
called Maxx'. As described by Brian Rudman
Brian C. Rudman is a columnist and regular editorial contributor to ''The New Zealand Herald'', New Zealand's largest daily newspaper. He has his own column, 'Rudman's City', where he mainly focuses on issues relating to Auckland (New Zealand's l ...
, the intention to brand the whole of Auckland's public transport fleet - arrived at after years of negotiation - was undermined by the insistence of operators like Stagecoach / Infratil to use their own livery, relegating the brand to an afterthought displayed much less prominently.
Usage
Apart from some usage on trains and ferries, most buses in Auckland operated in their operators' livery and brand with small MAXX stickers near the front entrance, but Northern Express buses on the Northern Busway used the MAXX brand more prominently.
See also
* Public transport in Auckland
Public transport in Auckland, the largest Ranked list of New Zealand urban areas, metropolitan area of New Zealand, consists of three transport mode, modes: bus, heavy rail, train and ferry. Services are coordinated by Auckland Transport (AT ...
* AT Metro
AT Metro is a public transport brand in Auckland, New Zealand, managed by Auckland Transport (AT). It was launched in December 2014, following the decommissioning of the MAXX brand with updated bus and train liveries, staff uniforms, wayfinding ...
* List of NZ railfan jargon
References
{{Public transport in Auckland
Rail transport in Auckland
Public transport in Auckland