Child fare eligibility age raised to 18 and under

Metro recently raised the child fare age to 18 and under – meaning 18-year-olds are now eligible for child fares.

Previously, when a young person turned 18, they ceased to be eligible for child fares regardless of whether they were still in school.

It was very exciting to have this change to the child fare eligibility age in place prior to the commencement of the 2022 school year, so students and parents could start to take advantage of the reduced travel costs available to them.

To put the cost comparison into perspective, a Zone 1 adult Metrocard fare is $2.65, and a comparative child fare is $1.50, which makes for some great savings for teens and their parents.

With communities growing across Christchurch City, Selwyn and Waimakariri districts we want to encourage more people to use the bus to help reduce congestion on our roads and lower transport emissions. Reducing the cost of bus travel for customers is just one of the levers being used to encourage Cantabrians to make fewer car trips. Changing the child eligibility age was the first step.

Now we're proposing to trial a new fare structure with either free or reduced fares for some bus users as part of the Environment Canterbury 2022/23 Annual Plan. Learn more and have your say.