**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
Unfortunately, I could not fit fare details of every New Zealand public transport, 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 Ben Love* \
\
*This opinion has been republished on publictransportforum.nz with permission from the original author.*
