Welcome to On Board with Orbus, your source of news and information about Dunedin and Queenstown's bus networks and the Bee Card 🐝🚍
 
We have a favour to ask....
We have waited to publish this edition of On Board because we have been waiting to hear about reduced fares and reduced services. They are coming hand in hand, and we need to manage it. Please keep reading to see what's happening in coming weeks and how this will affect your journey. Thank you. 
Bee flexible 

We're excited that Dunedin and Queenstown bus fares will be at half price from April 1st until the end of June. This means Bee Card adult fares will be just $1 per trip!! 💥

More passengers means we may hit full capacity on individual routes well before they get to their destination. We will be unable to provide extra services, due to drivers isolating or being ill due to COVID, a national driver shortage, and the recent increase in capacity provided for school services (in Dunedin).

Eventually we may need to drop to a reduced timetable (read more here) just when more people try the $1 fares. There is a chance this may happen during the reduced fare months, but we will let you know.
So, we have an important favour to ask 🙏

PLEASE PLEASE consider your journey. Some people need to catch a bus at a set time, so if you don't need to, or you can travel outside of peak times, please do so. 

Being flexible helps those who cannot move their travel times (for instance, nurses, shift workers, students and retail and hospitality workers) more chance to get to their destination. 


 
Travel off peak if you can, enabling those with fixed work or school hours greater guarantee they can get to work or school on time and back again. 
 

Check disruptions daily

Services are being disrupted by driver illness and isolation. To manage these we may drop trips on some routes. Our website publishes alerts posted directly by the bus companies, so this is our most up-to-date source.
Check your route every day to plan better! 
1. Go to the public transport page on ORC website
2. Click on Notifications and Alerts 
3. Select Dunedin or Queenstown
4. Choose your route number
5. Your route will be remembered next time you go back to the page 😎

We are also available 24/7 on 0800 ORBUSDN (0800 672 8736) 0800 ORBUSQT (0800 672 8778).

About those half price fares

Bee Card bus fares for adults in Dunedin and Queenstown will be $1 per trip!!

Cash fares, concessions and children’s fares are also half price. Click here for Queenstown fares and here for Dunedin fares. 

Just tag on or pay your driver (CASH only) and the fare will apply (always tag off). 

Total Mobility journeys are also included and will have the additional discount applied on top of the current subsidy.

 
Palmerston connection 

ORC is pleased to announce a new weekend service for residents in the Waitati, Karitane, Waikouaiti and Palmerston communities on route 1 on the Dunedin network.  

Waikouaiti Coast Community Board chair, Alasdair Morrison, said it will allow residents to take their children to Saturday sport, do a spot of shopping and be home for lunch, or catch a later bus home after a night on the town.

Route 1 will have four services on Saturday and two on Sunday, following the same route. Details on the service and timetable will be posted on the ORC website once an implementation timeline is agreed.

Read more here and Watch this space!
 

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