Auckland’s public transport system has embraced a seamless digital transformation, with Hitachi Rail and Auckland Transport (AT) rolling out a cutting-edge contactless ticketing system that has recorded an impressive 3.5 million taps within its first three months of operation.

Launched in November 2024, the AT Contactless Payment system was implemented across Auckland’s train, bus, and ferry networks in record time—just 15 months from project inception to full-scale deployment.

Revolutionizing Public Transport Payments

The initiative involved a complete overhaul of Auckland Transport’s payment validation infrastructure, incorporating Hitachi Rail’s Transcity Account-Based Ticketing (ABT) platform and advanced API integrations. The system enables passengers to make hassle-free payments using:

Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, and American Express debit or credit cards
Digital wallets on smartphones and smart devices

Seamless Integration Across Auckland’s Transport Network

The project successfully unified all train, bus, and ferry services under a single payment system, ensuring smooth interoperability between operators. The staged rollout of hardware and software upgrades was meticulously planned to avoid disruptions for commuters.

Driving Ridership & Sustainability

Hitachi Rail’s expertise in multimodal ticketing solutions is boosting public transport adoption, making travel more accessible while supporting Auckland’s sustainability goals by reducing net transportation emissions.

With the overwhelming success of contactless ticketing in its early months, Auckland’s future of frictionless public transport.

Jean-Marc Reynaud, VP Hitachi Rail RCS, said: “This contract celebrates the long-lasting support of Hitachi Rail to Auckland Transport for the integrated fare system in the city. Bringing our latest generation of digital payment solution in record time and in a cost effective way contributes to Auckland Transport and New Zealand’s agenda of proposing more attractive and accessible ways for people to travel and use public transport.”

Roger Jones, AT Chief Technology Officer, said: “AT will continue to invest in ways to make it easy, safe, and reliable to get around using public transport. Working with Hitachi Rail to seamlessly enable contactless payments to be accepted across our public transport network is one example of this investment. This will reduce road congestion for those who must drive and reduce our impact on the environment”

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