$50 weekly fare cap for most public transport in Auckland begins on Sunday

The fare cap for public transport in Auckland begins on Sunday. Photo / Michael Craig

Auckland Transport is introducing a $50 seven-day fare cap for public transport on Sunday, which Mayor Wayne Brown says will help many Aucklanders struggling with the cost of living.

The fare cap will run for seven days, expiring at 11.59pm seven consecutive days after the initial HOP car tag on.

For example, if a customer tags on a Tuesday, their fare cap runs until 11.59pm the following Monday. The fare cap period will not restart until the next time the customer tags on.

The fare cap operates on the inner, but not mid and outer ferry services. Photo / Alex Burton

The fare cap covers bus and rail services. Inner harbour ferry services for the Bayswater, Birkenhead, Northcote Point and Devonport routes are included, but not the mid and outer ferry services, and the Te Huia train between Hamilton and Auckland.

It will replace the $20 daily fare cap and the $230 bus and train monthly pass.

The initiative follows the Government abolishing public transport subsidies on May 1 for free travel for children aged 5 to 12, and half-price fares for those aged 13 to 24.

The subsidies were introduced by the Labour government in mid-2023.

The cap was a key piece of Brown’s new 10-year budget, which, he said, will make transport work better for Aucklanders during the high cost of living.

“The seven-day fare cap gives Aucklanders price certainty, allowing them to budget more easily by knowing they won’t pay more than $50 a week. It’s about getting back to basics and making better use of what we have – the things we can do now to make a difference for Aucklanders,” Brown said.

AT director of public transport and active modes Stacey van der Putten.

AT director of public transport and active modes Stacey van der Putten said about 8% of the 450,000 Aucklanders using public transport monthly will benefit from the cap.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to try public transport for more trips. For example, someone who takes the bus to the city during the week might now decide to take the train or one of our inner harbour ferries to go shopping or meet up with friends on the weekend.”