Different forms of contactless payment will soon be able to be used as well as Auckland's AT hop card. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Contactless payments are coming to Auckland's buses, trains and ferries this weekend.
An Auckland Transport webpage says payments using a credit or debit card, or a smartphone or smartwatch, will be accepted from Sunday 17 November.
Payments using an AT hop card will still be accepted.
Using a card or smart device to pay automatically charges the full adult fare - people still need to use their AT HOP card to access concessions on fares or the $50 7-day fare cap.
Card readers have been updated on buses, trains and ferries to accept contactless payment, by tapping a card to the reader to tag on and off.
Auckland Transport is expected to make an announcement about the change on Friday.
It is the first step towards a national ticketing system on public transport, expected to begin its roll-out in Canterbury next year, with Auckland expected to join the system in 2026.
Auckland's Deputy Mayor, Desley Simpson, said contactless payments will be a "gamechanger" for Aucklanders.
"It takes away that barrier of, 'where do I get a HOP card, have I got one, has it got enough money on it?'"
"This is just tap and go, so I think it'll be fantastic for Auckland, fantastic for public transport, and take yet another barrier down for those people who are concerned about using public transport."
She said regular users and visitors to Auckland will now be able to jump on board without the admin of needing a pre-paid card.
"Our visitors come from outside of Auckland and ofcourse from offshore. So often they're saying, 'well how do we use public transport here?'"
"This is just so easy for them, to be able to tap their eftpos card and off they'll go."
National co-ordinator of the Public Transport Users Association, Jon Reeves, said it'll make it easier to take public transport.
"Well this is actually fantastic, because it'll allow more people to consider using public transport, and those who already use it may find it faster now to board on trains and ferries.
"It might also benefit tourists, who come to the city and don't have HOP cards, and they can just pay with their contactless system."
Reeves hopes more people will get onboard a public transport now that HOP cards aren't a requirement.
"Anything that makes public transport more user friendly is a bonus and hopefully attracts more people, so this contactless system may attract more people onto buses, trains and ferries," he said.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
