Auckland Transport says planned bus and train fare increases are needed - otherwise it would be forced to find a significant amount of funding from increased rates or taxes.
It says almost all rail fares, half of ferry tickets and a fifth of bus journeys will go up by between 10 and 90 cents a trip at the end of the month.
Manager of public transport operations Mark Lambert says the move could discourage passengers - but he says the fares have not kept up with with fuel and labour costs over the last five years.
He says the fare rise will also mean train passengers who have previously had lower fares, will be paying amounts similar to bus users.
