Infratil's electronic ticketing business, Snapper Services, says some Auckland buses will accept the cashless cards from next year.
Snapper missed out in July on being named as the preferred bidder to provide an integrated ticketing system to the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA).
ARTA has asked the French technology firm Thales to develop a system that would allow passengers pay for bus, train and ferry use with a single smart card.
The chief executive of Snapper Services, Miki Szikszai, says it will push ahead with plans to get into the Auckland market from mid 2010.
Mr Szikszai says its system will initially be rolled out in the fleet of its sister company, NZ Bus.
"When you look at Auckland public transport at the moment about three-quarters of that is bus.
"Our announcement, which has NZ Bus joining the Snapper scheme, will see us having Snapper patronage 60% of the market at the end of 2010 - well in time for Rugby World Cup."
