MAXX is the regional (public) transport brand name of Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

. It was introduced in 2005, and remains in use as of 2011. It includes a blue livery used on some buses (rapid transit only) and all trains operated for Auckland Transport (formerly Auckland Regional Transport Authority). It is also used for public information and advertising branding.

Naming and criticism

At launch time, Auckland Regional Transport Authority 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. The brand featured dark blue livery and a 'pesky cartoon pukeko called Maxx'. However, as described by Brian Rudman

Brian Rudman

Brian Rudman is a journalist 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 , its growth, public projects, policies and politicians...

, the intention to visually brand the whole of Auckland's public transport fleet - arrived only after years of negotiation - was eventually undermined by the continued insistence of public transport providers like Stagecoach / Infratil to more prominently use their own livery, relegating the MAXX brand to an afterthought displayed much less prominently.

Trains

Auckland's trains are operated by Veolia

Veolia (New Zealand)

Veolia Transport Auckland, formerly Connex Auckland Ltd, is a division of Australasia's largest passenger train company, French-owned Veolia. It runs Auckland's urban passenger trains under contract from Auckland Transport under their MAXX brand, on infrastructure owned and managed by KiwiRail...

. Carriages are light grey or silver with a blue band along the windows. Driving cabs are blue and 'safety' yellow. Locomotives are blue with yellow ends and cabs.

Buses

Most buses in Auckland operate under their operators' livery

Livery

A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...

 and brand

Brand

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...

 with small MAXX stickers near the front entrance, but high-speed

Bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...

 buses on the Northern Busway

Northern Busway, Auckland

thumb|Passengers boarding a [[MAXX Regional Transport]] Northern Express service operated by [[Ritchies Coachlines]].The Northern Busway is a physically separated busway with dedicated park & ride facilities along State Highway 1 in the north of Auckland, New Zealand, linking the North Shore with...

use the MAXX brand.