This Sunday 21 July AT are introducing a $50 seven-day fare cap for public transport users in Auckland. This means fares on AT buses, trains, inner harbour ferries and AT Local will be capped at $50 over seven days.

Mayor Wayne Brown says it’s another example of his Long-term Plan (LTP) delivering for Auckland.

“This is another key piece of our Long-term Plan being put into action to make transport work better for Aucklanders. People asked for more spending on public transport in the LTP consultation, and this is part of that. There’s much more on the way for this sector, and I’m looking forward to getting on with the rest of it.”

He says it’s especially needed now, with many Aucklanders struggling under the high cost of living in the region.

“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,” says Mayor Brown.

The fare cap period runs for a week, expiring at 11:59pm seven consecutive days after the initial HOP card tag on. For example, if a customer tags on 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 seven-day fare cap provides more opportunities to customers, says Stacey van der Putten, AT’s Director of Public Transport and Active Modes.

“With around 450,000 Aucklanders using public transport monthly, about 8% of our customers would already benefit or are close to benefitting 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,” Ms van der Putten says.

Public transport customers do not need to do anything to begin getting the benefits of the fare cap beyond tagging on and off with their AT HOP card as usual. They will know they have reached the cap when they see a $0.00 fare on the HOP card reader.

Note to editor:

• Ferry services included in the fare cap are the inner harbour services. These are the Bayswater, Birkenhead, Te Onewa Northcote Point and Devonport routes.
• Excluded services are mid and outer harbour ferries, commercial ferries and Te Huia.
• From 21 July, the seven-day fare cap will replace the $20 daily fare cap and the $230 bus and train monthly pass.

© Scoop Media