From Saturday 7 September, children aged 5 to 15, using a registered AT HOP card, will be able to travel free on Auckland Transport’s bus, train and select ferry services during weekends and public holidays.

Children under the age of five already travel free with a paying adult at any time.

This change comes as part of the $1.1 million contribution from Auckland Council towards public transport initiatives announced earlier in the year.

Travel for free

There are a few things that you need to do before you head out on public transport.

You need to make sure that your kids have an AT HOP card and it is registered with a child concession.

Setting up a child discount concession is easy:

Buy an AT HOP card for each of your children aged 5 to 15 Create a MyAT account Register your child’s AT HOP card Start your adventure!

A child concession will be applied automatically when you register your child’s AT HOP card with the correct date of birth.

It may take 24 - 72 hours after registration for the concession to be applied, so make sure you register the card(s) at least two days before you intend to travel.

Ferries services that are included:

Bayswater

Beach Haven

Birkenhead

Devonport

Half Moon Bay

Hobsonville Point

Find out more on the Auckland Transport website.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says the free travel will encourage the next generation of public transport users.

“We’re spending more than ever before on building our public transport network across the region. Aucklanders are embracing transport choice, with more than 100 million journeys taken on public transport in the past year,” he says.

“Making public transport free for under 16s on weekends and public holidays will encourage more people to leave their cars at home and use existing capacity. Every person on public transport is one less car on the roads, helping to reduce carbon emissions and traffic congestion.”

“We just want to remind parents and children that before you head out, you need to make sure every child has an AT HOP card that’s registered with a child concession”

Colin Homan, AT Group Manager of Integrated Networks says public transport will now be accessible for all young Aucklanders.

“We’re really excited about this, families will be able to enjoy some time together and explore the region without worrying about the traffic.”

New AT HOP Card design

On Auckland's roads, Māori have the highest serious injury and death rates. AT’s Te Ara Haepapa programme educates Auckland’s younger generations about improving behaviour on our roads and exploring alternative travel options, like public transport.

As part of this, 100 students at nine school are being visited by AT’s Community Transport team throughout August and September to receive an AT HOP cards with a new design. The new card is based on design principles agreed with Mana Whenua and is closely aligned to AT’s regional placemaking signage.

Customer service staff will also be on hand to help activate and register the AT HOP cards in preparation for the Free Child Weekend fares.

More info on Te Ara Haepapa can be found on the AT website.