Utu Fares

On this page you'll find all bus and ferry fares on the Orbus network. You can pay by using a Bee Card preloaded with credit, or with cash when buying a bus ticket from a bus driver on board a bus.

You can only use cash or a Bee Card to pay for your bus fare.

Bank and credit cards cannot be used on buses to pay for a bus fare.

You can only use cash or a Bee Card to pay for your bus fare.

Bank and credit cards cannot be used on buses to pay for a bus fare.

You can only use cash or a Bee Card to pay for your bus fare to/from Queenstown Airport.

Bank and credit cards cannot be used on buses to pay for a bus fare.

Please note there are no concessions on the ferry.

Grab yourself a Bee Card to get bus fares that are cheaper than paying with cash.

A Bee Card is the prepay travel smartcard for Otago and other regions of New Zealand.

You can go to an ORC office or a Bee Card retailer to buy a Bee Card ($5, plus $5 minimum top up), or ask your bus driver to purchase one (cash only). You can also order a Bee Card online.

Remember to register your Bee Card by going online here so it's easier to manage your card, see your balance and top up online.

Learn more about the Bee Card

A bus transfer is when you travel on a bus and then get off this bus to take another bus to continue your journey.

If you're a Bee Card holder taking two buses in a single trip, you may 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 in order to pay just a single fare with your Bee Card. Remember to tag off from the second bus.

*Conditions for free bus transfers

• You must tag on and off with your Bee Card between the two buses
• Tagging on to the second bus must happen within 45 minutes of tagging off the first bus
• Free transfers do not apply to any fares purchased on the bus with cash
• Free transfers do not apply to any trips purchased for additional people on your Bee Card (using its stored credit)
• Free transfers do not apply to/from and between ferries
• For SuperGold concession holders, free transfers between two buses must take place within the same peak travel periods. If your first bus is in the off-peak period and the transfer to the second bus takes place during peak time, you will be charged a fare.

A concession is a discounted fare to the full adult fare. 

Concessions on the Orbus bus network in Dunedin and Queenstown are only available through using a registered Bee Card loaded with a concession.

Discounted bus fares are available for children aged 5-12 years and youth aged 13-18 years.

The cheaper fares are only available with a registered Bee Card with a concession loaded onto it.

Learn more about the concessions

Community Connect provides Community Services card holders with half-price fares on public transport with a registered Bee Card. 

You must link your valid Community Services card to your registered Bee Card to get this concession.

Learn more about Community Connect

If you are aged  65+, you are entitled to reduced fares or free fares during certain times of day with a SuperGold Bee Card.

Bee Cards are used in many regions within New Zealand, so it's highly useful if you plan on travelling around the country. 

You do need to have a registered Bee Card and a valid SuperGold card to get the SuperGold card concession in Otago.

Learn more about the SuperGold concession