Digital, contactless payments for Auckland Transport to be introduced in 2024

Paying for public transport will soon be as easy and simple as buying a coffee, but not until 2024, and only for adult fare users.

Auckland Transport is going to introduce contactless payment options across Auckland’s buses, trains, and ferries within a year.

It means adult fare users will be able to swipe their debit or credit cards, or mobile money apps as well as their AT HOP cards.

But the system won’t be available to pensioners or students immediately. They will have to wait until the National Ticketing Solution is introduced, which may take as long as 2026.

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Non-adult fares users account for nearly 40% of all riders, an Auckland Transport spokesperson said.

“This includes child and student, tertiary, SuperGold, accessible, and Community Connect concessions.”

In October 2022 the government signalled many public transport cards nationwide will be phased out and replaced with a national card, or with contactless payments under a new National Ticketing Solution.

Starting with Canterbury in 2024, eventually Auckland, greater Wellington, Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Gisborne, Manawatū-Whanganui, Hawke’s Bay, Nelson, Otago and Invercargill will be part of the scheme.

At the time, Transport Minister Michael Wood said it’s hoped the new system will encourage public transport use for “more people, more often,” particularly when people move between cities.

When that system is fully rolled out, Aucklanders using their tertiary or pensioner travel discounts will also be able to use their Efpos or mobile apps to pay for the bus, train and ferry in the city.

The improvements, which cost approximately $23 million, will enable commuters to tag on and off with payments through their debit/credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay alongside the current AT HOP card.

AT chief executive Dean Kimpton said commuters don’t need to stress about buying a HOP card, topping it up, or forgetting it.

“You can just tag on with what you already have in your pocket like in London, New York or Sydney.”

Kimpton predicted the improvements would lift public transport figures by between two and three million trips per year.

“This change is going to make public transport more appealing for more people including tourists, visitors, casual users, and first-time users.

“I see these improvements which will come in next year, helping to push us past 100 million public transport trips per year in 2024 and that is huge.

“The more people catching public transport, the less emissions, the less traffic, and the easier and safer it is for us to move around our city.”

AT’s group manager digital and technology delivery Chris Creighton said COVID-19 accelerated the preference for contactless payments.

“Since 2018 there has been a 62% increase in contactless payments.

“It’s the quickest, easiest way to buy something, and it makes perfect sense for public transport.”

Creighton said there was still a lot of work to do to get the system ready for its launch next year.

“Though the payments will be easy for customers, upgrading our backend system to allow for these payments requires a huge amount of work behind the scenes.

“We have been keeping a close eye on other cities who have already introduced this technology to great success such as London, Sydney and others.”