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Tertiary student discount terms & conditions Tertiary student discount terms & conditions

Terms and conditions regarding eligibility for the tertiary concession on trains and selected bus and ferry services.

The purpose of the Auckland Transport ("AT") Tertiary Concessionary Fare Scheme ("Tertiary Concession Fare Scheme") is to provide discounted travel for eligible full-time tertiary students to use public transport to get to and from their NZQA-accredited and approved tertiary course.

Eligibility

Full-time students who are enrolled and attending an NZQA-accredited and approved tertiary course at an AT-approved tertiary provider are eligible.

AT-approved tertiary provider

To be an AT-approved tertiary provider, the provider must meet the relevant criteria:

  • be Ministry of Education registered
  • be NZQA registered (private training establishments and transitional industry training organisations)
  • offer NZQA-approved and accredited tertiary courses
  • be located in the Auckland region
  • have signed a Tertiary Participation agreement with AT.

An "App-Approved Provider" is an AT-approved tertiary provider that has been authorised by AT to provide student eligibility confirmation via the AT Mobile app. Such providers must sign a Memorandum of Understanding in relation to AT HOP Tertiary Concession verification with AT.

In accordance with Auckland's Regional Public Transport Plan, AT has a responsibility to review its concessionary fare scheme (including the Tertiary Concession Fare Scheme) on a regular basis. Outcomes of a review may result in changes to the Tertiary Concession Fare Scheme.

Meaning of "Full-time student"

The Tertiary Education Commission ("TEC") assigns an Equivalent Full-Time Student ("EFTS") value to each course to determine if it meets the full-time status criteria. StudyLink, a service of the Ministry of Social Development, uses EFTS for assessing student loan and student allowance applications.

AT uses TEC's EFTS value to determine an individual's full-time student status. For institutes with a credits/points system, the points or credits assigned to a tertiary paper or course are converted to an EFTS value based on StudyLink's EFTS calculation. The total EFTS value determines a student's full-time status and the period their concession will be valid for.

AT's tertiary concession sticker is available on an annual or semester basis as determined by the student's full-time status.

"Full-time student" means:

  • a full-time/full-year student who has a minimum of 0.8 EFTS points when enrolled in and attending a full-time tertiary course for a minimum of 32 consecutive weeks in a full academic year
  • a full-time/part-year student (meaning for one semester) who has 0.4 EFTS points when enrolled in and attending a full-time tertiary course for a minimum of 16 consecutive weeks within the academic year (not spread out over the course of the year)
  • or a limited full-time student who meets StudyLink’s limited full-time student definition with an approval letter from StudyLink.

StudyLink defines limited full-time status as a provision for students who are unable to undertake the workload of a full-time course.

Confirming eligibility

In order to have a tertiary concession loaded onto their AT HOP card, students must first have their eligibility confirmed in one of 2 ways:

  1. Have a valid Auckland Transport Tertiary ID sticker ("AT Tertiary ID sticker") issued by their AT-approved tertiary provider, applied to their valid tertiary student ID card issued by their AT-approved tertiary provider ("Tertiary Student ID card")
  2. or show "Eligible" status in the AT Mobile app on the Tertiary Concessions page (this applies only if the student is attending an app-approved provider).

Some practical examples

AT Tertiary ID sticker - Full-time/full-year student

If a student is enrolled for a full year, they will only be issued with a full-year AT Tertiary ID sticker (expiry 31 March of the following year) if they are enrolled in a full-year course for a minimum of 32 consecutive weeks.

AT Mobile App - Full-time/full-year student

With the AT Mobile app, the tertiary concession is available for up to 3 years, subject to the student's ongoing eligibility as a full-time student. A student must consent at the time of application to have their eligibility initially confirmed and subsequently revalidated by their app-approved provider. When eligibility is confirmed, the active concession will be displayed in the AT Mobile app.

AT Tertiary ID sticker - Full-time/part-year students

If a student who is enrolled in and attending a course for a minimum of 16 consecutive weeks has a first-semester EFTS value of 0.4 points but their second-semester EFTS value is only 0.3 points, the student is deemed full-time for the first semester but not the second semester. The student will be issued with an AT Tertiary ID sticker for the first semester only.

If the course is less than 16 weeks but has an EFTS value of 0.4 or more, the student is not eligible for an AT Tertiary ID sticker.

As a guide, if the course starts part way through the academic year and continues beyond 31 August of the same year, the student may be issued a full-year AT Tertiary ID sticker only if they are enrolled in and attending a full-time course for a minimum of 16 consecutive weeks.

The student's Tertiary Student ID card must state the end date of their course as the expiry date of their Tertiary Student ID card. Otherwise, using this example, the student is only eligible for the part-year sticker, with an expiry date of 31 August of the same year.

The student will only be able to receive the tertiary concession up to the expiry date of their Tertiary Student ID card or their AT Tertiary ID sticker, whichever occurs first. For example, if a student's Tertiary Student ID card expires on 31 October 2021 and their AT Tertiary ID sticker expires on 31 March 2022, the concession will only be available up to 31 October 2021.

AT Mobile app - Full-time/part-year students

If a student attending an app-approved provider has opted to have their eligibility confirmed via the AT Mobile app, once loaded onto their AT HOP card, the concession will be available for the duration of the first semester. If the student's enrollment for the second semester does not meet the 0.4 EFTS requirement, the app-approved provider will notify AT when the student's eligibility changes.

The student will be notified and the tertiary concession on their AT HOP card will expire 2 weeks after notification, unless their enrollment status changes and their EFTS value meets or exceeds the 0.4 requirement.

When applying for an AT Tertiary ID sticker (see Tertiary ID stickers), all full-time students must produce a fees receipt/certificate issued by their AT-approved tertiary provider confirming their eligibility as a full-time student. 

Note:

  • Full-time students who are eligible to receive fees-free education and training are also eligible.
  • Students who fall under any of the below scenarios are NOT eligible for the Tertiary Concession Fare Scheme:
    • part-time students
    • Youth Guarantee, Foundation-Focused Training Opportunities and all other students enrolled in similar government-funded courses
    • correspondence study, distance learning and those who receive government funding for their transport.

What’s included

The applicable tertiary discount applies to travel using an AT HOP card loaded with a tertiary concession for use on trains and selected bus and ferry services. Refer to the Supplementary information section for operator-specific tertiary passes.

Tertiary fares are at least 20% less than the adult AT HOP single-trip fare on trains and selected bus and ferry services listed on the Tertiary student concession.

Please check the relevant train, bus and ferry fares and discounts for tertiary concession fares.

Tertiary ID stickers

If the student does not attend an app-approved provider, or they do not have access to a capable smartphone, they must have a valid AT Tertiary ID sticker (available on campus) on their valid Tertiary Student ID card in order to obtain the tertiary concession.

There are 2 types of AT Tertiary ID stickers:

  • First-semester-only students will be issued with a pink sticker. 
  • Second-semester-only and full-year students will be issued with a green sticker. 

Tertiary concession application process

Visit Tertiary student concession for information on how to apply for the tertiary discount.

Where you can go in Auckland

Considerable effort is made to ensure that the tertiary discount applies as widely as possible.

The tertiary discount is available on all services operated under a contract between Auckland Transport and public transport operators.

Some services are not covered under the Tertiary Concession Fare Scheme, in addition to those listed in Supplementary information - other products and services.

Auckland Transport and its operators reserve the right to add or remove any route or service from the Tertiary Fare Concession Scheme at any time without notice. If in doubt, students should check directly with the relevant operators to see if they accept the AT tertiary concession or provide their own tertiary fare discount. Refer to the Supplementary information section for operator-specific tertiary passes.

Conditions of travel

Tertiary concessions on AT HOP cards are available on trains and selected bus and ferry services.

Note: Tertiary students will pay an adult fare if:

  • they do not load a tertiary concession on their AT HOP card
  • they are unable to confirm their eligibility status via the AT Mobile app
  • or they are unable to present a valid Tertiary Student ID card with a valid AT Tertiary ID sticker.


We may, at any time and without notice to you, revise these terms and conditions. Changes to these terms and conditions will take effect immediately once published on our website.

Supplementary information - other products and services

Operator-specific tertiary discounts

Some operators provide services that are not contracted by Auckland Transport. To find out more about potential tertiary fares, visit:

Tertiary shuttles

Independently of the Tertiary Concessionary Fare Scheme, a number of tertiary providers run shuttle bus services between campuses to ensure the provider is accessible for students who may be studying at more than one campus.

Check with your tertiary provider to determine if shuttle bus services are available.

Terms of use of the AT HOP cards are available here.