Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility

Your new Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility card will come with instructions and a copy of the Terms and Conditions of Use. Please read these carefully before using your Total Mobility card for the first time.

When paying for a taxi with your Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility card, Metlink will cover 75% of the fare, up to $60 per trip. Cardholders will pay the remaining 25% of the fare to the driver at the end of the trip.
If the fare is more than $60, Metlink will pay up to $60 and you will need to pay the rest.

To use your card for door to door trips:

1. Contact your preferred Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility transport company to book a trip. You can find a list of providers below.
2. Give your Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility card to the driver at the start of the trip.
3. Pay the driver at the end of the trip.
4. Keep a copy of your receipt for this ride.

You can download and print a copy of these instructions below:

Total Mobility flyer - English [PDF, 434 KB]

Total Mobility flyer - Māori [PDF, 437 KB]

Yes. There is no extra charge for wheelchair accessible service. When booking your ride, please let the transport operator know you need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle and are a Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility member.

Please try to book your ride in advance wherever possible.

Your Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility card is a Snapper card, and you can use it to get a 50% discount on Snapper adult fares – one carer is also able to travel with you for free. Simply tag your card onto the Snapper terminals on board the bus, or at your train station. You will need to remember to tag your card off at the Snapper terminals once you finish your trip on board the Metlink bus or train.

Metlink staff may ask to see your Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility card or Blind Low Vision NZ membership card when travelling on buses, trains and ferries. When boarding, please let them know if your carer is travelling with you.

For door-to-door transport in the Greater Wellington region, the Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility subsidy is 75% of the total fare, up to a maximum of $60.

If the total fare is more than $80 the customer must meet the additional cost and pay this directly to the driver.

For a $20 trip

You pay $5, Te Hunga Whaikaha total Mobility pays $15.      

For a $100 trip

You pay $40, Te Hunga Whaikaha total Mobility pays $60.

You can use your card to get a Total Mobility subsidy in other parts of Aotearoa. However, every region in New Zealand has their own maximum subsidy amount and approved taxi companies, so check before you travel on the Waka Kotahi website:

Total Mobility around New Zealand: a regional guide(external link)

When travelling in another region please advise the driver you are from out of town and are using a card from Wellington. You can use your Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility card in the following regions:

Auckland

Bay of Plenty

Canterbury

Hawke's Bay

Horizons (Levin-Wanganui-Taumarunui-Dannevirke)

Marlborough

Northland

Otago

Southland

Taranaki

Waikato

Paper vouchers are used in Gisborne & the West Coast. If you are travelling there you will need to contact Metlink to get a book of paper vouchers posted out or they can be collected from our office.

If you have any questions about travel outside the Wellington region, contact us at 0800 801 700.

If you are visiting and you have a Total Mobility card or voucher issued by your local Regional, District or City Council then you can use the card here in the Wellington region.

• Give your card or voucher to the driver before the trip starts or you will need to pay the full fare. 
• If you have an electronic card, it can be swiped by Wellington region taxi card readers.
• If you use a voucher, please make sure to advise your driver. These are not very common and so some drivers may be unfamiliar with this process. It may be helpful if you advise them, to contact their office.

If you have any feedback about your experience here in Wellington, please contact us 0800 801 700 or info@metlink.org.nz 

Yes. You can still travel with whānau, friends or a carer in taxis (up to the maximum number of passengers allowed in the vehicle). If using your card to get the Accessible Concession on Metlink public transport, one carer can travel with you for free.

If you have lost your Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility card, please call us on 0800 801 700 immediately for a replacement. We will cancel your lost card and send you a new one.

All Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility cards expire if they are not used in 3 years with one of our approved taxi transport companies. Use on Metlink bus or rail services is not considered to meet this requirement.

If you think your card has expired, please contact us on 0800 801 700 for a new card.

If you have moved to the Greater Wellington region and have been using Total Mobility in another region, you can have your details transferred to be part of Wellington’s Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility service.  

If you move out of the Greater Wellington region, you can request to transfer your details to the regional council area you are moving to. 

Please contact Metlink at 0800 801 700 if you have any questions.

You can download and print a copy of List of Approved Taxi Companies here. [PDF, 120 KB]

A letter has been sent to all Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility card holders to let them know we have updated the list of approved taxi companies. There are also new rules for these companies.

They must now:

• Be available to book trips 7 day a week
• Have wheelchair accessible services available
• Be available in the evening and on weekends, including wheelchair accessible services
• Not include wait time in the fare amount subsidised by Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility

You can download and read the full letter here:

Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility Update 1st November 2024 [PDF, 122 KB]

Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility Update 1st November 2024 [DOCX, 157 KB]

You may be eligible for Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility if you have a permanent impairment or illness that stops you from undertaking one or more of the following five aspects of a journey by yourself on public transport in a safe and dignified manner:

• Getting to the place where the transport departs
• Getting onto the transport
• Riding securely
• Getting off the transport
• Getting to your final destination point.

Whether or not you have access to local public transport in the area that you live or travel to/from are not taken into consideration when determining eligibility.

Call and talk to our Metlink team on 0800 801 700.

On the call we will

• Explain how Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility works
• Talk about your Eligibility
• Then we will record your contact information

A few days after the call one of our team will call you touch to organize a time to have a in person conversation

Once you have applied, the assessors will contact you to confirm a time and place. 

The assessment takes 20-30 minutes. The assessor will take a photo of you for printing onto your Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility card.

We will write to you within 10 days to advise the outcome of your assessment.

The information provided as part of the eligibility assessment for Total Mobility will be used to establish your eligibility for Total Mobility, it may also be used for statistical and research purposes which will not identify you as an individual. This information may be accessed by employees or representatives of the Greater Wellington Regional Council and your disability support agency (if any). When required for audit purposes, information may be accessed by the agents, employees, contractors or representatives of the New Zealand Transport Agency and their auditors, or any Crown entity performing similar roles.

All personal information will be held securely and protected against loss, unauthorised access or misuse.

If you do not provide the information requested (including an approved identification photograph), you will not be able to register as a member of Total Mobility and you will not be eligible for any subsidy.

Under the Privacy Act 1993 you have the right to access personal information about you held by Greater Wellington Regional Council and your disability support agency for Total Mobility purposes. You are also have the right to request that we correct any information held about you.

You must immediately notify Greater Wellington Regional Council and your disability support agency if any information provided to support your application for Total Mobility changes or if there is any other change of circumstance which may affect your eligibility for Total Mobility.

Contact Metlink if you have any questions about the personal information we hold about you, or click here to view the Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Customer Privacy Policy.