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AT HOP card

public transport fare card

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 25, 2026
Entity authorityQ2940454
Source-derived summary

The AT HOP card is an electronic fare payment card that was released in two versions on Auckland public transport services, beginning in May 2011. The smart card roll out was the first phase in the introduction of an integrated ticketing and fares system (Auckland Integrated Fares System, or "AIFS") that was rolled out across the region.

The first iteration of the card – commonly referred to as the "purple HOP card" – was discontinued in 2012 because of issues with the delivery of key technologies. The current card, called the AT HOP card, is in use on all ferry, train and bus services in Auckland. The rollout of the card to all three transport modes was completed in March 2014.

Card operation

The AT HOP card is a light to medium blue credit-card-sized stored-value contactless smartcard that can hold prepaid funds (called HOP Money) to pay for fares or for monthly passes for unlimited travel within one or more of three "transport zones". Either facility must be added to the card before travel. Passengers "tag on" and "tag off" their card on electronic terminals when entering and leaving the transport system in order to validate it or deduct funds.

Cards may be "topped-up" or monthly passes purchased in the following ways: online, at ticket machines, at ticketing offices, and at selected retail outlets such as bookshops. Top ups may be made by credit or debit card, with the latter three mediums accepting cash payment.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “AT HOP card” as public transport fare card. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around card, public and transport.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2011, 2012, 2014—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with card, public and transport providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “AT HOP card”, the useful work is to connect “public transport fare card” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2940454. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2011, 2012 and 2014.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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  2. Expand the search: follow AT HOP card primary sources, AT HOP card archive and card research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from AT HOP card” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.