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Get through the busy season by planning ahead Get through the busy season by planning ahead

Date: 18 February 2026

Aucklanders are heading into the busiest time of year on roads and public transport as thousands return to school, university and work after the summer holidays.

More people use Auckland’s transport network from February until early April than at any other time of year. With our buses, trains and ferries making 13,500 trips per day, including 500 school trips, Auckland Transport (AT) anticipates there will be over two million passenger journeys each week.

Auckland’s public transport network will be the busiest on weekdays during peak times, between 7am-9am and 3pm-6pm, with Wednesdays generally the busiest weekday.

Combined with an expected 6.7% increase to average road congestion levels, AT is urging people to plan their journeys before setting out.

 

What we are doing to manage the network

Every year AT and the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), via the Auckland Transport Operation Centre (ATOC), prepare for this increase in demand by reviewing network performance in real time and taking action to keep our city moving.

Group Manager Public Transport Operations Rachel Cara says AT has been planning for this period since March last year.

“Our main message to people is to plan ahead, regardless of how they travel, whether it’s on public transport or in their private vehicle.”

“Public transport is a great option to consider with thousands of services running daily, taking away the stress of driving and giving you some time back. Network changes in 2025 added capacity on a number of key routes, and we’re utilising larger buses at peak times to support the higher demand. We have 42 fast frequent bus routes across Auckland that run at least every 15 minutes, from 7am to 7pm, 7 days a week, and about 750,000 people live within a ten minute or less walk to one of these stops.

“With additional trains also in the fleet ahead of City Rail Link opening, we’re able to run more six-car services, including 40 peak services and some school trips.

“The recent tertiary concession increase, from 20% off to 40% off, has already seen a 25% increase in trips taken year on year, and we are likely to see more students onboard as they return to university.”

Rachel Cara also encourages Aucklanders to remember to tag on and off with contactless payments or their AT HOP card. “This lets us accurately track the numbers of passengers onboard, allowing us to see which services are busiest and make adjustments where possible.”

As part of our one network approach, ATOC will also be keeping an eye on the road network, looking to optimise traffic flow to help with journey times.

ATOC Manager Claire Howard says they have a team in place to implement reactive responses as necessary.

“These include managing signals to clear traffic, deploying estimate journey times on digital displays and monitoring the roads with a one network lens. This means that no matter where you are travelling through, arterial roads or state highways, there is a team working 24 hours to ensure that Aucklanders get to where they need to get to safely.”

 

What you can do

  • Plan ahead and allow extra time. Ensure to arrive early to catch your bus, ferry or train in case there are queues.
  • Use AT Journey Planner to plan your trip and check Live Departures for up-to-date schedule information on the AT Mobile app.
  • Please be patient. You may need to wait for the next bus on our high frequency corridors.
  • Remember to tag on and off with your contactless payments or AT Hop card.
  • Do not leave belongings on the seat next to you and if standing on a busy bus or train carriage, move down as far as possible, filling every seat to create as much room as possible for more people to get on board.
  • If you’re driving, check the status of travel times on apps such as Google Maps and Apple Maps to help you plan your journey.
  • If possible, car-pool with family, friends or colleagues so you can travel in T2 and T3 lanes to reduce journey times and help disperse traffic.
  • Consider Mixing Your Go, using different travel options on your journey – bus, ferry, trains, walking, cycling and e-scooters.