Senior citizens will not be able to travel free on public transport after 1 July unless they buy an Auckland Transport electronic travel card.
Until now, Supergold cardholders have been able to travel free after 9am by simply producing their Supergold card. However, a change in government policy which is aimed at better monitoring the free travel concession means Auckland Transport will require senior citizens to carry an AT HOP card.
Auckland Transport advises the HOP card holders will be able to travel for free on trains and selected bus and ferry services in Auckland, after 9am weekdays and all day weekends and public holidays.
The concession can be applied for with a SuperGold card, or an AT Senior Citizen ID card for $15 at any Auckland Transport service centre, by post or via the internet. The HOP card will be credited with $5.
Council candidate Mr Greg Sayers says the stricter regime will also mean Supergold cardholders visiting Auckland will have to buy an AT HOP card if they want to travel around Auckland for free.
“Although it is an inconvenience the savings in free travel is well worth the effort,” he says.
“The HOP card will have each person’s entitlement embed in it and all they have to do is swipe the card over a scanner when boarding a bus or a ferry.”
Mr Sayers says he would have liked to see the cards provided for free but Auckland Transport wishes to recover the $1.5 million the cards will cost to distribute to up to 140,000 Supergold cardholders throughout Auckland.