A national public transport ticketing service will be rolled out across New Zealand, allowing Kiwis to pay for their fares with their phones and debit cards.
The new payment solution will begin in 2024 in Canterbury. By 2026, the Government hopes it will be operating in a number of other major centres, like Auckland, Wellington, Waikato, and the Bay of Plenty.
"They will be able to pay for public transport using contactless debit or credit cards, as well as digital payment methods like Apple Pay or Google Pay, while still offering the option of using a pre-paid transit card," said Transport Minister Michael Wood on Friday morning.
Current public transport cards, like the Auckland Transport HOP cards or Wellington's Snapper cards, will no longer be required. Local transport authorities will still set the fares for their areas.
"This new technology will allow daily weekly and monthly fare caps to be applied to travel automatically, meaning customers will be charged the best possible fare at the end of each day. It will also mean that when travelling to a new town, people will be able to pay using what’s already in their pocket, rather than having to buy a transit card specific to that region or fumble for cash."
The Government hopes it makes public transport more accessible to people who will no longer have to worry about having different payment types in different parts of the country.
Will you be more likely to use public transport if you can pay with your phone or debit card?
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