About RUC on Rails

A RUC startup from Dunedin

That problem is Road User Charges. A lot more drivers are about to start paying RUC, and much of the system was built for fleets, specialists and people who already know the rules. We run RUC Hub, RUC Compare and RUC Pass to make it easier to understand, easier to shop around and easier to buy.

A New Zealand RUC startup, founded in Dunedin

Why we exist

Road User Charges are about to become a lot more normal

Until now, plenty of petrol-car drivers have barely had to think about RUC. That is changing. As the system expands, millions more New Zealanders will need to work out what they owe, who they can buy from and how to stay on the right side of it.

RUC on Rails is a startup built around that everyday reality. Most companies in this space come from fleets, GPS, telematics or government systems. All useful. But the average driver does not want a dashboard designed for a transport manager. They want a clear price, a simple way to pay and the option of talking to a person at a counter.

Our mission is to make Road User Charges easier to access, understand and manage for all New Zealand drivers.

Our story · Dunedin

We started by trying to work out what was actually going on

RUC on Rails was founded in Dunedin in 2025 by Adam Johnston and Briyarne Pascoe as a startup focused entirely on Road User Charges. We did not begin with a tidy three-product roadmap. We began with a question: what, exactly, was changing about RUC?

We started researching it and found an industry that was difficult to follow from the outside. Useful information was spread across government papers, legislation, commercial websites and conversations most people were never going to be in. So we put what we found in one place and made it public. That became RUC Hub.

People then started asking about provider prices, and there was no decent way to compare the full cost in one place. We built RUC Compare because New Zealanders should be able to shop around, and because no one enjoys finding out later that they paid more than they needed to.

The next gap came through our work with industry and retailers. The conversation was full of apps, GPS and hardware, but retail had been largely overlooked. Cash still matters. So does talking to someone at a counter. RUC Pass grew from that: a RUC product built for the app and the shop counter, with our own software running underneath it.

Dunedin, New Zealand

We made the research public

RUC Hub puts the news, research, explainers and practical tools in one place, without expecting people to already know the industry.

We put the prices side by side

RUC Compare shows provider fees, offers and total prices so people can see what they are paying before they choose.

We made room for retail

RUC Pass is being built for digital purchasing and over-the-counter access, including cash and customers who would rather deal with a person.

Leadership

Who's behind RUC on Rails?

RUC on Rails is led by Adam Johnston and Briyarne Pascoe. They worked together at Delivereasy before starting the company in 2025, and both came through operations before moving deeper into their respective commercial and technology work. The company is based in Dunedin.

Adam Johnston

Co-Founder & CEO

Adam looks after strategy, partnerships, government and industry engagement, research and go-to-market. Most days, that means asking a lot of questions, listening properly and making sure RUC on Rails is solving problems that exist outside its own office.

A University of Otago commerce graduate, he spent six years at Delivereasy, starting as a driver and later becoming a regional operations manager. He has led RUC on Rails' consumer research and engagement across the RUC transition, and sits on the governance board of ITS New Zealand.

Briyarne Pascoe

Co-Founder, CTO & Director

Briyarne leads engineering, architecture, integrations and platform development. He builds the apps and sites customers use, along with the transaction and data systems underneath them.

He is an AWS-certified engineer with experience across public-sector software, startups and transport technology, including New Plymouth's public transport mobile app. During four years at Delivereasy he moved from operations into technology development. He later co-built RUC Pass and the operating systems behind RUC on Rails.

The products

You might know the brands before you know us

RUC Pass, RUC Compare and RUC Hub are all owned and operated by RUC on Rails. We keep them separate because someone buying RUC needs something different from someone comparing providers or reading a policy update. The team and technology behind them are shared.

RUC Pass

Buy RUC. Your way

Buy RUC online, in the app or over the counter at 2,000+ retail locations across New Zealand.

Shop around for RUC

Enter a plate and compare total prices, deals and ways to buy across every major New Zealand RUC provider.

RUC information without the runaround

RUC news, explainers, data, vehicle checks and practical tools for New Zealand drivers.

Most people will meet us through one of those three brands. RUC on Rails also builds the market-intelligence, transaction and operational software they rely on.

See all three brands