On Board with Orbus - November 2023

📢Welcome to our November edition, which includes some tips to help you have a safe and happy holiday season, plus information about public holiday timetables, bikes on buses in Queenstown, and cruise ship season bus timetables for Dunedin.

If you have any feedback on what you'd like to include, please email comms@orc.govt.nz.

Make sure you have a happy and safe holiday season  

‘Tis the season to be jolly – and work Christmas parties are starting to populate our calendars.

Getting home safely after your team merriment usually requires a bit of planning. Have you considered hopping on a bus? It’s cheaper than a taxi at $3 (Dunedin) or $4 (Queenstown) cash fare, or $2 with Bee Card, and our buses run into the night on many routes. 

You can check out whether the buses on your route are suitable here: Dunedin buses and Queenstown buses and ferries.
 

Here are some examples:

In Dunedin, Route 18 (Portobello) departs the Bus Hub every 60 minutes from 6:38pm to 10.38pm, with a late Friday service at 10:59pm.

In Queenstown, Route 1 (Sunshine Bay) departs from Stanley St every 15 minutes from 6.30pm to 12.25am every day and runs via the Frankton Bus Hub to the Remarkables Shopping Centre (Red Oaks Drive).

Please follow the Code of Conduct so everyone can have a pleasant journey. We wish you a safe and happy holiday season! 

Public holiday information

Please note that bus services in both Queenstown and Dunedin will not operate on Christmas Day, and that some Dunedin services are reduced on some public holidays.

Dunedin public holiday information 

Christmas Day (25 December) is the only public holiday that the Orbus Dunedin bus service does not operate on over the summer holiday season. 

We run the public holiday schedule, which is the same as a Sunday schedule, on these public holidays: 

• Boxing Day — 26 December 2023 

• New Year’s Day — 1 January 2024 

• Day after New Year’s Day — 2 January 2024 

• Waitangi Day — 6 February 2024 
   

To find the holiday timetable for your bus route, go to Dunedin Bus Timetables and select your route. From there you can either select the holiday date from the dropdown list or download the timetable PDF. 

Queenstown public holiday information 

Christmas Day (25 December) is the only public holiday that the Orbus Queenstown bus service does not operate on.  

For all other public holidays, the bus service runs to the usual timetable every day.   

Queenstown Ferries has limited services over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.  

• Find timetable information here.

• Find all service alerts and updates here.

Image: Queenstown Ferries

Bikes on buses in Queenstown 

It’s summer, and lots of us are getting on our bikes. Did you know you can put your bike on the bus? 

Our buses have two bike racks at the front, but these fill up quickly and we sometimes get people asking to carry their bikes inside the bus. 

Occasionally, we can carry one additional child’s bike inside at the front of the bus, but this decision is up to the bus driver.  

The driver will consider how much space is available and assess the risks, including considerations such as what is likely to happen at stops on the route ahead.  

We do need to make sure we have priority space available for wheelchairs and prams. 

Top tips:

• If you need to get to your destination, but you aren’t able to carry your bike inside on the bus, please lock it securely either at the bike park at the bus stop or close by and arrange to collect it later. 
  

• Only one child’s bike is allowed inside the bus at the driver’s discretion. 
  

• If it’s okay to put a bike on the bus, please place it in the designated mobility spaces.  
  

• To keep everyone safe, your child must stay with the bike and keep hold of it at all times.  

Check out our website for details on how to use the bike rack on the bus.

Image: Bikes loaded on the bus bike rack

Cruise ship season in Dunedin

 
This season more than 120 cruise ships are expected to arrive in Port Chalmers between 6 November 2023 and 7 April 2024. 

 
We have added extra buses to meet the cruise ship season demand; however, on the busiest days below, you will need to plan ahead to make sure you get the bus. 
 

Expected busy days (excluding public holidays and weekends): 

• Monday 5 February 

• Tuesday 20 February 

• Monday 26 February 

 
Bus timetables for cruise ship days 

Extra buses will be running at times we expect there to be a need, and then the scheduled Route 14 timetable will run for the rest of the day. 

Scheduled buses will leave Port Chalmers and the Bus Hub with enough capacity to pick up passengers along the route. 

Wind can affect cruise ships entering and departing the Otago Harbour and this can result in late cancellations. If a ship cancels on a day when additional buses were scheduled, the additional buses will no longer run, and the normal bus service will operate as usual.

Please check our website for a schedule showing additional buses or call the customer service team: 0800 ORBUSDN (0800 672 8736). 

Please note, some of these extra trips may be provided by buses without Orbus branding. 

Image: A cruise ship sailing past Taiaroa Head in Dunedin

Big delays to buses ongoing due to roadworks and peak travel

⚠️ Heads up, passengers — there are 15–20-minute delays to buses during peak times in both Dunedin and Queenstown. To find out if your bus is cancelled or delayed, go to: www.orc.govt.nz/public-transport.

A free phone number is also available:

Phone 0800 672 8736 for Dunedin information.
Phone 0800 672 8778 for Queenstown information.