Public transport users and providers will have to wait until August to find out more after delays to the $1.3 billion Motu Move national public transport ticketing programme.
Motu Move was supposed to be launched in Canterbury this year before being introduced across all regions by end of 2026. However, Waka Kotahi/New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said it pushed back the first rollout in Timaru and Temuka in a May 30 update, making it the third delay in nine months.
An NZTA spokesperson blamed it on “challenges of the more complex components of the new system”. *The Press* has reported those components included the regional nuances of how much it cost to ride a bus and who could get concessions.
Motu Move would phase in electronic payments and a new smart card that could pay for public transport fares nationwide, replacing existing ones like the Snapper card in Wellington, Auckland’s AT Hop card and the Bee Card used in 10 regions.
