7-day fare cap for Auckland public transport

About the new 7-day fare cap

Whether you're commuting or exploring Auckland's sights you'll spend only $50 per 7-day period.

The fare cap applies to bus, train and inner-harbour ferry services. Inner-harbour ferry services include Devonport, Bayswater, Birkenhead and Te Onewa Northcote Point.

You must have a valid AT HOP card and tag on and off for every trip. Other terms apply. 

How it works

All AT HOP cardholders using eligible services automatically qualify.

We'll track your normal spending and automatically apply the fare cap once you've spent $50. You do not need to top up your card with $50 to get the fare cap. 

Tag on and off every trip

You must tag on and off correctly for each trip on an eligible service for it to count towards your spend. You must also tag on and off once you are receiving free travel.

When your fare cap starts and ends

Your 7-day fare cap will automatically start from the first time you tag on and off from an eligible service. All trips completed from then until midnight 7 days later will count towards your $50 cap.

Your next 7-day fare cap period starts the next time you tag on and off.

For example, you tag on and off your regular bus at 7am on a Wednesday. The 7-day fare cap period starts immediately and ends at midnight the following Tuesday. Your next 7-day fare cap period will start when you next tag on and off. 

When you've reached the fare cap

Once you've spent $50 during your 7-day period, you will get free travel until the period ends. Remember, you must still tag on and off when you are travelling for free.

For example, you have spent $49 and have 3 days before your 7-day rolling period ends. You tag on and take a $2 journey. When you tag off you will be charged only $1 as you have reached your $50 cap.

Querying your fare cap spend

Fare cap dates and transaction details in MyAT are coming soon.

Until then, you can view transactions for the previous day each morning. If you have any queries about your transactions, please contact us.

Replaces daily cap and the bus and train monthly pass

This fare cap replaces the $20 daily fare cap and the bus and train monthly pass. 

Monthly ferry passes are still available.

Bus and train monthly passes that were activated by Saturday 20 July with a successful tag on can continue to be used until they expire. Bus and train monthly passes that were not activated by Saturday 20 July will no longer be able to be activated.

If you are affected, we will contact you directly to process a refund.

If you have a query about an activated or pending pass, please contact us.

Some examples when the fare cap does not apply

In some cases, the fare cap does not apply when an active ferry monthly pass has been used for part or all of the journey, or where this is a mix of eligible and ineligible services.

Scenario 1

If a journey involves both eligible and ineligible services, only the eligible services will count towards reaching the cap.

For example, if a customer travels from Ellerslie to Britomart by train and then Downtown to Hobsonville Point by ferry, the fare the customer pays for the train will count towards the cap, but the ferry fare will not count. This is because the Hobsonville Point ferry is a mid-harbour ferry.

Scenario 2​

After reaching the cap, if a journey involves both eligible and ineligible services, customers will receive free travel for sections of the trip on eligible services that take place after the ineligible services.

For example, if a customer has reached the cap and travels between Half Moon Bay and Downtown by ferry and then between Downtown and Albany by bus, the fare would be $10.70 each way.

If a customer has reached the cap, then their fare would be: 

• Half Moon Bay to Albany: $8.50 (bus travel is free)​
• Albany to Half Moon Bay: $10.70 (bus travel is not free).
  

The Half Moon Bay ferry is not an eligible service because it is a mid-harbour ferry.

Scenario 3

For monthly ferry pass holders, the fare cap does not apply to bus, train or inner-harbour ferry trips that start or end in a zone in which bus, train or ferry travel is included in the monthly ferry pass.

For example, if a customer has an outer-harbour ferry monthly pass that they normally use on the Gulf Harbour ferry and takes a bus from Hibiscus Coast to Warkworth, the bus travel will not count towards reaching the fare cap and the bus travel will not be free once a customer has reached the fare cap as the bus travel started in a zone in which is included in the ferry monthly pass.

Scenario 4

For monthly ferry pass holders, the fare cap does not apply to journeys where the active ferry monthly pass has been used for part of or all of the journey. 

For example, if a customer has a mid-harbour ferry monthly pass and takes a ferry from Half Moon Bay to Downtown, then travels by bus to Albany, the bus travel will not count towards reaching the fare cap and the bus travel will not be free once a customer has reached the fare cap. 

Contact us

If you have questions about the 7-day fare cap or how it works with your existing bus and train or ferry monthly pass, please contact us. 

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