Tickets and fares

Special services

The Airport Express, Metlink OnDemand, and Wellington Harbour Ferry have special set fares and various payment options.

Paying with Snapper

snapper card iconSnapper is a stored value card for Metlink buses and trains.  A variety of passes are available when using Snapper. 

Get started using Snapper

Paying with Cash

coins icon

Regular Metlink buses and trains don't have EFTPOS on board, and there are no ticket vending machines on train platforms. 

Cash fares cost at least 25% more than the equivalent Snapper fares. If using multiple services, a separate cash fare applies for each service. Free transfers do not apply to cash fares. When purchasing a cash ticket onboard, correct change is appreciated. 

Express bus services 30x(external link), 31x(external link), 32x(external link) are Snapper-only, and do not accept cash. This ensures the fastest possible travel time for commuters. 

Concessions

Only one concession can be loaded on to your Snapper card at a time. Multiple concessions can't be used on the same journey, however the off-peak discount applies to all Snapper fares, including concessions.

  • On buses: Cash fares aren't eligible for concessions or discounts, except for child fares.
  • On trains & ferries: Single Child fares and single Accessible concession fares can be purchased on board with cash.
  • Concessions do not apply to Metlink Explorer day passes.

Accessible Concession

example of total mobility card for accessible concession

Tertiary Concession

Eligible full-time tertiary students receive a 25% discount on peak adult Snapper fares. 

Child Concession

SuperGold

SuperGold cardholders ride free weekdays 9am to 3pm, weekdays after 6:30pm, and all day on weekends and public holidays.

Total Mobility

The Total Mobility scheme provides discounted door-to-door taxi transport for disabled people who cannot independently use regular public transport services, all or some of the time. In the Wellington region, Total Mobility cards have Snapper cards built in for paying bus and train fares and already have the Accessibility concession applied.

Community Connect Concession

Discounted fares with Snapper for Community Services Card (CSC) holders. This concession will be launched 1 July 2023.

Other concessions

Transfers

A journey may include several trips on different vehicles. Some combinations of trips are eligible for free transfers, and some are not. 

"Journey-based fare calculation’ is a way of calculating fares for passengers transferring between several trips on a journey and using a stored value card, like Snapper. Essentially, passengers would pay the same fare as what they would have paid if it was a single trip on the same vehicle. This is also known as 'free transfers'.