Opinion: In 2014 the average New Zealander commuter pays $11,852.98 per annum in total car ownership and running costs, and likely far higher nowadays.
Public Transport Fare Caps by Cities:
(aberrations: D = Daily, W = Weekly, A = Annual)
(Fares calculated with use of the city’s transport card adult fare)
(Annual calculated to 365 days using the proportionate amount of a weekly fare cap or 30-day pass, unless no fare cap/passes) -
Auckland Transport (AT Hop Card):
W: $50, A: $2607.14
Greater Christchurch Metro (Metro Card) (ages 25+):
Bus only:
D: $4, W: $16, A: $834.28
(only 8 trips needed to hit weekly cap. Single trip $2)
Bus and Diamond Harbour ferry:
D: $8, W: $32, A: $1668.57
Greater Wellington Metlink (Snapper Card):
Fare cap TBD, intended introduction late 2025 – early 2026.
(For purposes of study, will default to day pass, bus pass and rail bus pass options)
Zones 1 to 3: D: $13, W: $91, A: $4745
Zones 1 to 7: D: $18, W: $126, A: $6570
Zones 1 to 10: D: $25, W: $175, A: $9125
Zones 1 to 14: D: $30, W: $210, A: $10950
30-day bus pass zones 1-3 for Wellington: $177.50, A: $2159.58
30-day bus pass for Wellington-Eastbourne: $236.70, A: $2879.85
30-day rail pass for Wellington by zone:
1: $60.60, A: $737.30
2: $99.60, A: $1211.80
3: $132.90, A: $1616.95
4: $149.10, A: $1823.78
5: $182.10, A: $2215.55
6: $231.60, A: $2817.80
7: $262.80, A: $3197.40
8: $293.40, A: $3569.70
9: $331.20, A: $4029.60
10: $363.90, A: $4427.45
11: $417.00, A: $5073.50
12: $448.20, A: $5453.10
13: $494.40, A: $66346.05
14: $526.50, A: $6405.75
Greater Hamilton/Waikato BUSIT (Bee Card):
Weekly cap by zone:
Central City Zone: $10.80, A: $561.60
1: $21.60, A: $1126.28
2: $32.40, A: $1689.42
3: $43.20, A: $2252.57
4: $54.00, A: $2815.71
5: $86.40, A: $4505.14
6: $108.00, A: $5631.43
7: $129.60, A: $6757.71
8: $162.00, A: $8447.14
9: $194.40, A: $10136.57
Tauranga BayBus (Bee Card):
No fare cap for Bee Card
(Default to Tauranga Daysaver pass and Bee Card fares)
Daysaver pass: D: $7.80, W: $54.60, A: $2847
Single Bee Card fare: $2.72
Two Bee Card fares per day: D: $5.44, W: $38.08, A: $1985.60
(BayBus does operate more services across the greater Bay of Plenty region, but fares vary).
Otago Orbus/Dunedin and Queenstown (Bee Card):
No fare cap
(Will default to Bee Card fares)
Single Bee Card fare: $2
Two Bee Card fares per day: D: $4, W: $28, A: $1460
Manawatū-Whanganui, Connect (Bee Card):
Weekly Cap by Zone:
1: $16, A: $834.28
2: $24.50, A: $1277.50
3: $30, A: $1564.28
4: $39, A: $2033.57
It’s clear that taking public transport in New Zealand is significantly cheaper than driving/owning a car.
In reality, annual public transport fares will typically be far cheaper than listed, as what I put is basically the extreme upper limits (very heavy users), not accounting for people taking any time off, concession discounts, etc.
An opinion by Benjamin Love - an Industry Consultant and Advocate
This opinion has been republished on publictransportforum.nz with permission from the original author.
