Fares for train, bus and ferry will increase starting February 10, a media release from Auckland Transport read.

“By law, Auckland Transport reviews fares each year to ensure they keep pace with operating costs and so that the correct portion of costs is recovered from passenger fares.

“These reviews have seen customers benefit, in real terms, with the average cost per kilometre on public transport dropping by as much as three per cent for adults, 14 per cent for tertiary students and 21 per cent for children since 2015,” AT media statement read.

Auckland Transport as a part of the annual fare review for 2019 has also been looking at how it can support the shift from travel in cars to travel on public transport and active modes.

“We would like to have been in a position to not increase fares in 2019. Over the past three months, we have been exploring means of funding any cost gap that could be created by not increasing fares,” AT Chief Executive Shane Ellison said.

"Public transport is paid for through passenger fares and subsidies from Auckland Council and NZ Transport Agency. Unfortunately, a small fare increase is needed as any additional revenue generated by new growth resulting from holding fares at current levels is insufficient to meet the costs of providing public transport services without further funding being available."

"We see fares as an important ingredient to getting more people out of cars and into public transport and so we will continue to look at ways we can further reduce the real cost of public transport for our customers in the coming years," Mr Ellison added.

Last year new bus networks were rolled out in the central suburbs and the North Shore. At says more than 500,000 Aucklanders now live within 500 metres of a frequent service, which runs at least every 15 minutes, all day every day.

In addition, AT introduced more rail services on weekends, and it can also put on more capacity on some ferry services to destinations such as Hobsonville.

"Operating a public transport system in a growing city like Auckland means that the costs do increase as we put on more services. It's a balance for AT to provide an extensive public transport system that has enough capacity for a growing city, but we also know that cost is a major factor in how people travel, so we've found efficiencies in order to keep the fare increase at an average of 1.9 per cent. This is well below the inflationary pressures associated with providing public transport," Mr Ellison said.

“In the year to the end of November, 95.6 million trips were taken on public transport in Auckland, an increase of 5.2 per cent on the year before,” AT statement concluded.

AT Public Transport Fare Changes 2019