Kia ora,

The Government has announced that Auckland will be moving back to Alert Level 3 at midday today for three days. Here’s what you need to know when considering taking public transport during Alert Level 3.

Is your journey essential?

Please follow Alert Level 3 guidance and only use public transport when essential. The Government has advised that you must maintain physical distancing of two metres outside your home, including on public transport. The Government has recommended that you wear a mask if you are out and about, including while on public transport.

Make sure you plan ahead

Buses, trains, and ferries will continue to run to a normal timetable to provide enough capacity to allow two-metre physical distancing.

We recommend you plan ahead using Journey Planner or our AT Mobile app. AT Mobile and our Passenger Information Displays, show how many people are on a bus or train service at any given time. This lets you know if two-metre distancing is achievable before you board.

Fares will continue to be charged over this three-day Alert Level 3 period and cash will still not be accepted. Customers must tag on and off with their AT HOP cards. We strongly recommend that you register your AT HOP card to help with contact tracing should it be required. You can do this by visiting our website.

What to do when you travel on buses:

Cash will not be accepted on board during Alert Level 3. You must use an AT HOP card.
You must use the rear door to get on and off buses.
Tag on and off using the AT HOP card reader inside the rear door.
If you use a wheelchair or mobility device or require driver assistance, you can still get on and off using the front door.
Customers will not be able to use the first row of seats behind the bus driver.
Once a bus is at capacity, drivers will only drop customers off.

School buses will continue to operate. As per Government guidelines, the two-metre physical distancing requirement does not apply to school buses, as these are a part of a school’s controlled environment. However, we recommend that parents wait with their child(ren) at the bus stop until they can see if the bus has enough room on board for their child(ren).

Because of the very short notice and potentially short duration of this regional lockdown, it may not be practical for physical distancing stickers to be installed across the public transport network immediately. Please be mindful of your personal surroundings and the importance to maintain two-metre physical distancing.

If you need more help

Customer service centres will remain open with two-metre physical distancing rules applying to both customers and staff. However, cash will not be accepted by staff under Alert Level 3.

During this time, we recommend customers use self-service options such as ordering an AT HOP card online. Journey planning can also be done via the AT website or AT Mobile app. Our call centres remain open and customers who need assistance with their journeys can speak to us from 6.00am to 9.00pm by calling (09)0 366 4467.

We will revisit the opening hours and locations on Friday once the Government provides further direction and guidance on the Alert Level 3 status.

Parking

If you are using AT’s parking buildings or on-street parking, normal charges will apply. We will continue to enforce parking restrictions, bus lanes, and other special vehicle lanes during this period.

Our parking and transport officers will be assisting authorities by monitoring physical distancing across the network and helping essential healthcare and community testing facilities with any transport-related issues.

The best place to find the latest about the COVID-19 situation in New Zealand is on the Government’s special COVID-19 website.