Welcome to our October edition, which tells you about extra bus trips on busy cruise season days, a community transport trial in Ōamaru, and fare changes.
Also, learn about our Queenstown ferry service, bus stop improvements and how to transfer buses for free. Read on!
If you have any feedback or want to tell us about good public transport stories, please email comms@orc.govt.nz.
Extra bus trips on busy cruise days
This cruise ship season, 69 cruise ships are expected to arrive in Port Chalmers between 24 October 2025 and 15 April 2026. It won’t be as busy as last season, when 94 ships visited.
We’re adding extra buses to and from Port Chalmers (Route 14) on 30 days throughout the season to make sure there’s room for local passengers.
Cruise ship schedules can change due to weather conditions or other factors. If a ship cancels on a day when additional buses were scheduled, extra buses will no longer run, and the normal bus service operates as usual.
Please check our website for a schedule showing additional buses, visit the Orbus Dunedin Facebook page, or call the customer service team on 0800 672 8736.
Busiest days in November and December:
- 14 November
- 10 December
- 24 December
- 30 December
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Bus fare changes
Just a reminder that fares have changed.
The free fare for children aged 5–12 years has ended; all passengers aged from 5 to 18 years now pay the Child (5–12) or Youth (13–18) fare of $1.50, and the adult fare has increased by 50c to $2.50.
ORC is making these changes to help contribute to new central government funding expectations. Find out more at orc.govt.nz/fares.
Community transport being trialled in Ōamaru
A six-month community transport trial connecting Ōamaru residents with nearby towns and cities is starting in the next few months.
The Ōamaru Affordable Bus Steering Committee will run the trial, supported by the Otago Regional Council. The committee will organise volunteer drivers to make return trips between Ōamaru and Palmerston three days a week to connect with Orbus’s Palmerston–Dunedin service.
ORC has provided $25,000 to run the trial, funded through a targeted rate from the area.
We’ll be monitoring the trial to better understand Ōamaru’s transport needs and test the viability of bringing community transport to other Otago towns. In future, depending on the success of the trial, this could include connections such as Balclutha to Dunedin and Alexandra, or Clyde and Cromwell to Queenstown.
Find out more:
ORC to consider community transport in Ōamaru
Community transport trial going ahead in Ōamaru
Expanded ferry service launched
Late night services on Queenstown’s ferry now operate seven days a week, and daytime trips run every hour.
The Lake Whakatipu ferry contract has been awarded to new owners Watersports Ltd, and people are now being offered more options to travel by water in Queenstown.
Services run every hour between 8.15am and 9.45pm.
Find Orbus ferry route and timetable information here:
6 - Hilton (Kelvin Heights) to Queenstown Ferry
Find more information about Queenstown ferries here:
Bus stop improvements
Bus stops across Dunedin are in line for a facelift!
We’ve made a priority list of 10 stops to be upgraded after our audit of the city’s 853 stops.
Improvements may include adding new shelters, seats, yellow painted lines to indicate the bus stop and/or lighting, and adjusting kerb height.
Priority stops are the Gordon Road clocktower, York Place opposite St John, 30 North Road, Mosgiel Terminus, 64 Murano Street, 984 George Street, St Kilda Terminus, the Green Island super stop and 151 Princes Street. We’ll work with the Dunedin City Council to make improvements at the most appropriate time.
Find out more: ORC plans to improve priority bus stops
Did you know transfers are free?
Did you know that if you need to take two buses on your trip, you might be able to only pay for a single trip?
If you’re a Bee Card holder taking two buses in a single trip, you will only pay for a single fare when you transfer from your first bus to your second bus within 45 minutes of tagging off the first bus.
You must use your Bee Card to tag on and off both buses to get your free transfer.
The 45-minute transfer window starts when you tag off the first bus with your Bee Card. This means you have 45 minutes to tag on to the second bus and pay just a single fare with your Bee Card.
There’s no need to let your bus driver know you’re transferring.
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Our mailing address is:
comms@orc.govt.nz
