Aucklanders will be able to tap onto a bus, train, or ferry with their phone or contactless credit and debit cards in 2024, the city's transport agency has announced.
The change, which will be made in the "next 12 months", will bring Auckland in line with overseas cities like London, Sydney, and Hong Kong.
Auckland Transport (AT) chief executive Dean Kimpton said he expected the change could mean an additional three million public transport trips a year.
"This change is going to make public transport more appealing for more people, including tourists, visitors, casual users, and first-time users," he said in a media release.
"You won’t need to stress about buying a HOP card, topping it up, or forgetting it. You can just tag on with what you already have in your pocket."
All contactless cards through popular payment platforms like Paywave, Apple Pay, and Google Pay will be accepted.
The changes will only apply to full-fare paying adults, while those using concessions such as SuperGold and tertiary discounts will still need to use AT HOP cards.
AT’s digital and technology delivery manager Chris Creighton said there is still "a lot of work to do to get the system ready for its launch next year".
"Though the payments will be easy for customers, upgrading our backend system to allow for these payments requires a huge amount of work behind the scenes," he said.
"We have been keeping a close eye on other cities who have already introduced this technology to great success, such as London, Sydney and others."
The change will cost approximately $23 million to implement, according to the agency.
It comes ahead of the target launch date of NZTA's national ticketing project — a government programme that has been in the works since 2009 — which has promised to create a single payment system for all public transport in New Zealand.
The Government said last year the national system would roll out nationwide by 2026.
AT had been in the process of implementing contactless payments six years ago before halting work in anticipation of the national system's completion.
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