Visitor's guide to public transport in Auckland
Using Auckland buses, trains and ferries is easy and convenient. Find out how to pay, plan your trip and more.
On this page
Plan your journey
Recommendations
Read about our suggested public transport trips around Auckland.
Find your way around
Use our Journey Planner to:
- plan trips on the go or choose a future date and time
- compare routes and transport options
- see departure times and how much your trip will cost.
To use our Journey Planner and check live departures on your smartphone, download the AT Mobile app or go to our Journey Planner webpage.
Ways to pay
You can pay for public transport with:
- contactless debit or credit cards, smartphones or smart devices
- AT HOP cards
- paper tickets (only train and ferry services, not available on buses).
Travel tips
Arrive early
Some services, particularly buses, can run ahead of schedule. And if you’re travelling by train or ferry without a HOP card or contactless payment method, you’ll need time to buy a ticket before you board.
Remember to tag on and off
If you’re paying with an AT HOP card or contactless method, tap your card or smart device on the card reader at the start and end of your journey to tag on and off.
Always tag on and off with the same card or device. Take your card out of your wallet or phone case so that the correct card is scanned.
Pay for others with your AT HOP card
On the bus, tag on as usual then ask the bus driver for a ticket for the person you’re paying for. For train or ferry travel, you can use your AT HOP card to buy single-trip tickets from a ticket machine or customer service centre.
Fares
You can use our Journey Planner online or in the AT Mobile app to find out how much your trip will cost. Our Journey Planner shows standard adult fares only. Adult fares are the same on contactless payment or HOP.
When you use an AT HOP card or contactless payment method, you can transfer between AT buses, trains and ferries and pay just one fare for your entire journey. Just make sure you tag on within 30 minutes of tagging off your previous service and complete your journey within 4 hours.
Fare caps
If you plan on travelling around Auckland on buses, trains and inner-harbour ferries for 2 or more days you will likely benefit from the $50 7-day fare cap. You will need an AT HOP card to get the benefits of the fare cap. You can buy an AT HOP card from many places around Auckland.
There is also a $20 daily fare cap. If you use a contactless payment method, you will get it automatically.