Understanding your fare
We use zones to calculate your fare
Bus and train ticket prices are based on how many fare zones you travel through.
For example, going from Henderson to Britomart passes through Waitākere, Isthmus and City zones, making it a 3-zone trip. Going from Onehunga to Epsom only travels through the Isthmus zone, making it a 1-zone trip.
The maximum you’ll pay is a 4-zone fare, even if you travel further.
Using Journey Planner to calculate your fare
To save you doing the calculations yourself, you can use our Journey Planner to work out how much you'll pay for a trip.
Enter your start and end point and look for the price tag in the top right corner of the journey details.
Journey Planner is set to adult fares by default.
To change from adult fares to other fare types, select 'Refine' and go to 'Fares and concessions' under 'Journey planning settings'.
You can set your concession type for this journey or all future journeys.
Making transfers between buses, trains and ferries
You can transfer between AT buses, trains and ferries and pay only one fare for the whole journey using your AT HOP card or contactless method. Make sure you:
- use the same card or device for tagging on and off
- tag off and tag on within 30 minutes between transfers
- complete your journey within 4 hours.
Ferry fares include bus and train travel within the same zone as the start and end of the route. For example, if you’re travelling from Devonport to Newmarket on the ferry and train, you’ll only pay for the ferry.
Different fare types
We have 2 different fare types:
- HOP or contactless fares
- full cash fare.
Payments with HOP cards or contactless payment methods are cheaper than tickets bought with cash. A cash fare is the full price you'll pay for a ticket.
We also offer discounted fares (concessions) for students, SuperGold cardholders, Community Services cardholders and people with accessibility needs. To get a discounted fare, you need an AT HOP card with a concession loaded onto it.
Ticket prices for buses and trains
Adult and child fares
Children under 5 years old travel free when travelling with a paying passenger.
They do not need their own AT HOP card.
Children can also travel free on buses and trains on weekends and public holidays when they tag on and off with their registered HOP card.
Child fares are not available using contactless payment methods.
To get the 40% child discount using AT HOP, the card must be registered with the correct date of birth.
Discounted concession fares
Secondary student concessions are only available with a registered AT HOP card.
Students must be aged 16 to 19 and attend an Auckland secondary school full time to be eligible for the 40% discount.
Tertiary student concessions are only available with a registered AT HOP card.
Students must be enrolled full time at an Auckland tertiary provider to be eligible for the 40% discount.
Seniors with a SuperGold concession on their AT HOP card can travel free after 9am on weekdays and anytime on weekends and public holidays.
For weekday travel before 9am, adult fares apply.
Accessible concessions are only available with a registered AT HOP card.
You must have a Total Mobility or Blind Low Vision NZ card to be eligible for the 40% discount.
Community Connect concessions are only available with a registered AT HOP card.
You must have a Community Services Card to be eligible for the 40% discount.
Paying for buses and trains
The easiest way to pay for buses and trains in Auckland is with an AT HOP card or contactless method. Paying with one of these methods is cheaper than paying with cash.
Contactless includes:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- American Express
- UnionPay
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- Samsung Pay.
Tag on when you board and tag off when you exit. When tagging on and off, remove your card from your wallet or phone case so the correct card gets scanned. Always use the same card or smart device to tag on and off so that you’re charged the correct fare.
If you do not have a HOP card or contactless payment, you can buy a paper ticket instead. Paper tickets cost the full (cash) adult or child fare.
For trains, you can buy a paper ticket at the station from a service desk or ticket machine.
For buses, you can use the credit on your HOP card to buy a paper ticket from the bus driver. You cannot use cash or EFTPOS to purchase a paper ticket on board a bus.
Cash and debit cards (EFTPOS) are not accepted on buses. If you have an AT HOP card but your travelling companion does not, you can use credit on your HOP card to pay for them.
You’ll be charged a full-price (cash) fare on top of your own fare when you tag on. Ask the driver to help you do this.
For trains, if you do not have a HOP card or contactless method, you can purchase a single-use ticket from a ticket machine or customer service centre.
Fare caps are automatically applied to provide better value for frequent or long-distance travellers on our bus and train network.
Customers who use an AT HOP card qualify for our $50 7-day fare cap.
Customers using a contactless payment method qualify for our $20 daily fare cap.
We cap fares for a single journey at 4 zones of travel. Even if you travel further, the most you’ll pay is 4 zones.