Auckland Council is supporting Vector's right to use Auckland bus lanes to reach and repair broken lines.

The civil defence committee is asking Auckland Transport and NZTA to consider allowing critical engineering services like Vector to use the lanes.

Vector chief executive Simon MacKenzie says it could reduce their response time by up to 20 percent.

He says using bus lanes will enable them to restore power and traffic lights sooner.

Simon MacKenzie says fewer traffic management responsibilities would also reduce their costs and response times.