, July 2022
Buses GO Wellington buses were the first to use Snapper cards, with "tag on/off" card readers inside the bus entrance and exit doors. It was trialled by 200 users on route 17 to
Karori. From 1 June 2009 there is a 20% discount on standard fares for adults using a Snapper. Previously, this discount was 25%. Snapper was made available on Valley Flyer buses from 14 June 2009, and on Runcimans school buses in September later that year. As of 2018 Snapper is available on Mana/Newlands Coach Services buses as the Metlink bus network had been unified under one style and one fare system. On 1 December 2009, Snapper announced plans to enter the Auckland market, targeting coverage of 80% of public transport by Rugby World Cup 2011.
Infratil,
ANZ Bank New Zealand (then ANZ National Bank),
Eyede,
Unisys and
Beca Group pitched Snapper to the
Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA), which had made public its intention to introduce smartcards on
public transport in Auckland. Snapper released the so-called purple
HOP card, which was used only on
NZ Bus services (but no other Auckland bus company or service) in Auckland from March 2011 until late 2013. After
Auckland Transport superseded ARTA in 2010,
Thales Group was awarded the contract and Snapper was required to exit the Auckland market after failing to make their system compatible with Thales' system. Subsequently, the rollout of the
AT HOP card for all Auckland bus, train and ferry services was completed by Auckland Transport by March 2014. On 3 March 2014, the Northland Regional Council introduced Snapper cards for Whangarei's urban bus network, CityLink Whangarei. On 29 September 2019, Snapper cards were phased out for the Whangarei bus network, which was replaced with the Bee Card.
Trains The
Johnsonville Branch was the first line to adopt the Snapper card system for fare payments on 14 November 2021, with the hardware, reader stands, and other necessary equipment being installed previously in August. "Snapper on rail" (as coined by Metlink) operated similarly to the already in-use bus system, with commuters required to "tag" on and off at card readers located on the station platform. The reason for the system only being installed on the Johnsonville Branch at first, was to act as a “trial run” to gauge if the system was viable to replace paper tickets on other Wellington suburban lines. The Snapper system was eventually rolled out to the
Kāpiti Line,
Hutt Valley Line, and
Melling Branch on 12 November 2022. The
Wairarapa Connection adopted Snapper at later date, on the 27 November 2022; marking full integration with the rest of the Snapper system. The
Capital Connection (running between Wellington and Palmerston North) does not accept the Snapper card as it is not a Metlink service, and instead has its own ticketing and fare structure.
Ferries Tickets for the
East by West Ferry in Wellington could be purchased with Snapper cards at Queen's Wharf. Since early 2010, the Snapper card could be used to tag-on and tag-off the ferry, much like on buses, but there was no discount for using it on the ferry. Tag on-tag off services on the ferry have been discontinued. The old style card readers are there but they are covered up and disabled.
Retail stores Many retailers in Wellington allowed Snapper as a form of payment, and facilitate topping up a Snapper card. These included FIX convenience stores, dairies and ticket offices throughout the Greater Wellington region. In 2015, Snapper announced that, from 1 June, these
contactless payments would no longer be available in stores and retail outlets (but may still be accepted in some schools).
Taxis Starting in September 2010, Snapper could be used as payment for around 700 of Wellington's 1250 taxis. This was removed on 1 September 2020 due to it being available less often in taxis and used less by passengers. == Use ==