The New Zealand government and the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency have confirmed plans to launch a national account-based open loop payments system that will enable public transport users to make contactless fare payments with a new national transit card or their own physical or digital credit or debit card.
Waka Kotahi first announced in July 2021 that it would begin rolling out the new system in the New Zealand city of Canterbury in “late 2022” with a full national rollout to be completed by 2026.
The new system will now be introduced across the country in stages, beginning with Canterbury in 2024, according to New Zealand’s minister of transport Michael Wood.
New Zealand sets out plans for national open loop contactless transit payments system was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.