A new public transport ticketing system will replace the Bee Card — but Otago is at the end of the queue for the national rollout.
The Government’s National Ticketing Solution (NTS) mean passengers will not have to buy different transit cards in different centres.
Otago Regional Council corporate services general manager and chief financial officer Nick Donnelly said it would replace the Bee Card used on Otago buses but there would be no immediate change for passengers.
"We’ll continue with the Bee Card until our turn to implement NTS comes along. Otago is last in the queue, so it’s not scheduled for another two to three years," Mr Donnelly said.
Minister of Transport Michael Wood said the NTS would deliver a nationally consistent single payment system, providing a range of easy-to-use methods across all public transport in New Zealand.
"Customers will be able to choose what payment method works best for them. They will be able to pay for public transport using contactless debit or credit cards, as well as digital payment methods like Apple Pay or Google Pay, while still offering the option of using a pre-paid transit card."
The new technology would allow daily, weekly and monthly fare caps to be applied to travel automatically, meaning customers would be charged the best possible fare at the end of each day, Mr Wood says.
The NTS would cover fares for buses, trains and ferries.
Once NTS is implemented, passengers would be able to pay for public transport using contactless debit or credit cards, as well as digital payment methods on mobile devices and wearables. They would also still have the option of using a pre-paid transit card.
The first NTS implementation was expected in Canterbury in mid-2024, and all other Public Transport Authorities would transfer over before 2026.
