After years of waiting Wellington public transport users can pay debit cards and phones
Monday, 13 April 2026
Its official, Wellington commuters can head to the bus stop or train station and pay with their phone or debit/credit card.
It was revealed last year Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) would develop a system to allow contactless payments on its public transport network, as NZTA continues to work on a nationwide system allowing the same feature.
The official launch is today (Monday), although it was quietly introduced over the weekend to ensure a smooth rollout.
GWRC chairperson Daran Ponter told The Post he was excited to try it on his Monday morning commute for the first time.
“[It] will be a relief to finally see this technology on our Metlink services.”
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Public transport operators around the country have been waiting for the roll-out of the $1.3 billion national ticketing solution (NTS), which has faced major delays and had a project review in the middle of last year.
Ponter said the latest update to their system did not mean they were “turning a blind eye to the NTS”.
“We are still committed but we have had to find transitional solutions ourselves because they have been so delayed.”
It was not a “happy decision” to create a Wellington specific system, he said.
“We would prefer to be standing behind and supporting the next ticketing solution, but it’s just simply not here when they said it would be - and that was two years ago.”
The new system has cost the council $5.3 million and will only work for adult fares, but Snapper cards will still be available for those that don’t want to make the switch.
In March, The Post reported on a scathing probe into the NTS done by LEK Consulting.
It found that despite slowing down the NTS rollout its timeframes remained “ambitious” and a lack of commitment from GWRC and Auckland Transport posed a big problem.
“Without such commitment, significant risk will remain with respect to the capacity to effectively manage the programme from both a time and cost perspective,” the report said.
Ponter said those comments were “a little bit gratuitous”.
“We have been tolerant, we have waited literally years for the next ticketing solution.”
Last week Transport Minister Chris Bishop told The Post he expected those running the NTS project to “get on with it” and for public transport authorities to stay focused on delivery.
“Ultimately, New Zealanders very reasonably expect a simple, consistent way to pay for public transport across the country, and they expect it to be delivered. So do I.”
Surge in public transport use
Some of New Zealand’s major centres have seen an increase in public transport usage as the pain at the pump sets in across the country.
Ponter said the council had recorded 7% jump in people travelling by trains when compared to this time last year, while the Wellington region’s buses were up 3% over the same period.
He hoped the new payment system would encourage more to take public transport, particularly those visiting the city.
“I can imagine that as people come into town for things like WOW, for Beervana, for All Blacks games … it now just becomes a no-brainer, you just simply get on a bus or the train.”
On March 17, Auckland Transport recorded its highest patronage levels since 2019, with a 7% increase on the same day the year prior.