• Contactless payments on Auckland’s public transport will be introduced this weekend, allowing the use of credit/debit cards and mobile payments.
• Transport Minister Simeon Brown called it a “game-changer” for convenience and reducing road congestion.
• The rollout, jointly funded by NZTA and Auckland Council, will expand to Timaru and Christchurch in 2025.

Aucklanders and visitors to the City of Sails will be able to pay public transport fares using credit and debit cards from this weekend, and Auckland Transport has advised how “much easier” it will be for commuters.

The Government today announced contactless payments for bus, train and ferry services in Auckland will come into effect from Sunday – a move Transport Minister Simeon Brown called a “game-changer”.

Brown said in addition to Auckland Transport (AT) Hop cards, Aucklanders and visitors to the City of Sails would be able to tag on and off using contactless credit or debit cards – as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay on their smartphones or smartwatches.

AT director of public transport and active modes Stacey van der Putten said commuters would simply need to turn up, pay and use public transport without too much thinking ahead.

Although passengers would need to separate their cards from wallets or phones, or have their devices ready, before tagging on and off.

“Be sure to tag on and off with the same card or device throughout your journey to pay the correct fare. So, do not tag on with your smartphone then tag off with your smartwatch or card.”

Any Visa, Mastercard, American Express or UnionPay credit or debit card can be used to pay for public transport.

The new integration will be charged at the standard adult fare and not recognise concessions. It will not contribute to the $50 weekly fare cap introduced by AT in July.

Those who get student, youth, Gold Card and other discounted fares, and those wishing to take advantage of the weekly fare cap should continue to use their Hop card.

“Rolling out contactless debit and credit card payments for public transport users will be a game-changer and will make public transport services more convenient and easier to use, helping to give Aucklanders more transport choices which will help to reduce congestion on our roads,” Brown said.

Brown said these methods were common elsewhere around the world and it was time New Zealanders “had access to the same standard of service”.

He said it was the first step in delivering New Zealand’s one National Ticketing Solution.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown echoed that the announcement was another step in making the city’s public transport “easy to use”.

“We need to keep removing barriers to people wanting to use our trains, buses and ferries.

“This new payment system means you don’t have to have a registered AT Hop card with a topped-up balance to ride – you can just turn up, tap your credit or debit card and off you go.”

Brown said it met “modern expectations” and would take away the hassles that may otherwise have prevented people from using public transport.

The delayed introduction of the technology comes after it was initially expected to rollout in June.

“Delivering a consistent public transport experience no matter where Kiwis are or what service they are using will drive better value for money and provide more travel choices to New Zealanders in our main cities,” Transport Minister Brown said.

“Local councils and transport operators will be able to monitor demand and rollout the right services, at the right time and frequency, to deliver the most cost-effective services possible. Better data will allow for more efficient provision of public transport services.”

The Government said the rollout of contactless payments would expand to Timaru and Christchurch in early 2025 and reach other regions by the end of 2026.

AT’s “open loop ticketing solution” has been jointly funded by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and Auckland Council, marking the first of three stages in Auckland’s transition to the Government’s nationwide National Ticketing Solution.

AT has updated posters at some stations this week and some electronic readers have had the Hop-only sticker removed.

In April, AT said 3600 on-board card readers and 180 station pedestals needed to be upgraded for the new scheme.

“This change is going to make public transport more appealing for more people including tourists, visitors, casual users, and first-time users,” van der Putten said in an earlier announcement flagging the move.

“It’s about being able to turn up, pay and use public transport that gets people to more places without too much thinking ahead.”

AT said a total of $23 million has been budgeted to design and implement the contactless payment technology.

The systems update comes days after the announcement of a nearly 100-day rail network-wide closure in order to make improvements ahead of the City Rail Link (CRL) project’s completion.

All lines across will be closed from December 27 until January 27, with further closures at Easter, and public holiday weekends.

It would be partially closed for five weekends between July and September.

A second, long, full closure would begin on Boxing Day next year and finish on January 26, 2026, ahead of the CRL opening.

Cash payments were removed from Auckland’s bus network in March 2020.