Last updated 3:02pm, 1 October 2020
Auckland moved to Alert Level 2 with no extra restrictions on Thursday, 24 September 2020.
There are some changes when it comes to transport in Auckland, these new changes include:
- Face coverings are mandatory on public transport for Alert Level 2 or higher.
- Ministry of Health contact tracing QR codes are now displayed on public transport.
- Cabinet will review the alert levels again on Monday, October 5 whether - moving alert levels at 11:59pm on Wednesday October 7.
It is highly recommended that people wear face coverings when out in public to help stop the spread of the virus.
For more information visit: www.COVID19.govt.nz
Public transport
To help with contact tracing should it be required, make sure you
When tagging on or off, listen for the beeps that will indicate if your AT HOP card is registered or not. If you hear three beeps, this means your card is not registered. If you hear one or two beeps, you’ll know your card is already registered.
Public transport continues to operate with strict health and safety requirements in place, you must wear a face covering.
Fares will continue to be charged during Alert Level 2 and cash will not be accepted on public transport. You must tag on/off with their AT HOP card and we strongly recommend that you register your AT HOP card to help with contact tracing should it be required. This allows us to monitor passenger numbers and make fast adjustments to services if required due to changes in demand.
There is no longer physical distancing restrictions for seating on public transport. Despite the restrictions being lifted on seating, we recommend physical distancing where possible.
To encourage you to travel off-peak you will receive a 30% discount off the adult AT HOP fare for travel on weekdays after 9am and before 2:30pm, or after 6:30pm. This helps reduce peak congestion and the strain on public transport to make sure everyone can get to where they need to go quickly and safely.
Ministry of Health contact tracing QR codes are now displayed on public transport. To help things go smoothly for everyone, please install the Ministry of Health’s NZ COVID Tracer app before you take public transport. Remember to scan the code during your trip.
Travel by bus
Buses will be largely operating at a weekday schedule with some cancellations after or around midnight. There may be some delays with services that cross the Auckland Harbour bridge due to damage sustained to the bridge on Friday 18 September reducing capacity on the bridge. Find out what this means for you.
Travel by school bus
AT school bus services are back to normal for Alert Level 2. Face coverings and physical distancing are not required on school buses.
We also recommend that parents wait with their children at the bus stop until they can see if the bus has enough room for their children.
Hand sanitiser is available for students boarding and departing the bus. Buses are being cleaned after each school run.
Travel by train
Most trains are running at a 20 minute frequency during the week and a 30 minute frequency during evenings and weekends. The Onehunga line is running at a 30 minutes frequency on both weekdays and weekends. There are temporary closures of train lines in October, with buses replacing some trains in October.
Travel by ferry
Ferry timetables are back to normal for all AT services.
Travel planning
You can continue to rely on the AT Mobile App and journey planner to plan your journey. We will be actively monitoring our timetables while at Alert Level 2 and will make changes to timetables as needed.
Keeping you safe
AT has taken several measures to help keep you safe on our network and maintain effective and safe public transport services for our customers, these include:
- Our AT Mobile app indicates the available capacity that is on a bus or train service at any given time. Bus drivers will move to only dropping customers off once a vehicle is at capacity.
- We’re ensuring that all public transport is being cleaned regularly and we have enhanced our cleaning regime to include antimicrobial protection fogging of facilities and our fleet. See a video of some of our cleaning here: See a video of some of our cleaning.
- We ask that you use the rear door to get on and off the bus. This is to ensure everyone is kept as safe as possible by minimising physical contact between customers and the bus drivers.
- If you who use a wheel chair or other mobility device or require driver assistance can still use the front door of buses. This also applies if you are vision impaired – we ask drivers to assist you through the front door.
- Our cleaners, mechanics and other essential staff have been using personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as maintaining clear physical distancing rules such as using the ‘bubble’ rule with our teams, strict hand washing prior to and after completing tasks and other measures as they go about their work on our vehicles, stations and facilities to minimise the risk of COVID-19 as much as possible.
Total Mobility fares
The Total Mobility scheme continues to operate during Alert Level 2. Fares remain the same. The Total Mobility scheme supports people who cannot use public transport to travel, all or some of the time. More information on the Total Mobility scheme.
Customer service centres
Most of our customer service centres are open with safe physical distancing (at least 2 metres) between our staff and customers. Those service centres that are unable to open are:
- Manukau Train Station
- AUT City campus
- Botany
Our call centres are open and you can speak to us 24/7 by calling 09 355 3553.
Parking and outdoor activities
Paid parking continues for both on and off-street parking at Alert Level 2. Enforcement of parking restrictions, bus lanes and other special vehicle lanes continues.
Parking and transport compliance staff are assisting authorities by monitoring physical distancing behaviour across our network and assisting essential healthcare and community testing facilities with any transport related issues.
Leisure boating and all water activities are allowed at Alert Level 2.
If you’re walking and cycling for essential trips or exercise, make sure you continue to maintain a 2-metre distance from people you don’t know. It is highly recommended that people wear face coverings when out in public to help stop the spread of the virus. For information on cycling and walking, including maps, how to videos and guidance on how to stay safe while walking or cycling.
Pedestrian crossing signals across the Auckland region and city centre have returned to normal operation at Alert Level 2.
Find out more information in our COVID-19 media briefing.
The best place to find the latest New Zealand COVID-19 information is on the Ministry of Health’s website and the Government's main COVID-19 website. For COVID-19 health advice and information, or if you think you may have COVID-19, Aucklanders can contact the Healthline team (for free) on 0800 358 5453.