Beginners Guide
If you’re new to bus travel then this guide is designed to help you get around Dunedin on a PT Citibus bus with ease.
Once you have decided where you need to go you’ll need to find out which bus to catch and how far away the closest bus stop is. To do this you will need to either
- get hold of a bus timetable brochure from either the Otago Regional Council offices or the PT Citibus Depot
- go online to www.orc.govt.nz to download an electronic copy.
Bus routes are generally defined by their start and finish points. In Dunedin the buses largely flow from one side of the city to the opposite other. For example the Normanby – St Clair route starts at St Clair beach and turns around at Normanby in North East Valley (or visa versa). Most routes go through the centre of the city (primarily the Octagon) so they will be listed in the timetable as St Clair to City or City to St Clair depending upon which way they go.
Each route has a number, and this is the number that appears on the front display of the bus. Next to the route number will be the last destination on this trip across town, not the point of origin. This is important for you to know which bus you are getting on as it defines where your bus is going.
You can also find your local bus route by searching in the suburb list section of the bus timetable. This will tell you what bus numbers pass through your area.
When you find the route map you are looking for you will note that not every bus stop is identified, only the street names are. Also included are side streets (in pink) that the bus passes by to give you a better indication of where you are. All the bus routes are colour coded to help you identify different routes that travel through the same suburbs.
It is very important to note that weekend and public holiday timetables are different to regular weekday timetables.
Your bus fare is charged in Zones according to the distance you intend to travel. Please see the map on pages 6 and 7 of the bus timetable. To calculate your fare count the number of zones you will travel through, including the ones you will start and finish in.
View Dunedin bus zone map (PDF 115Kb)
Please then refer to the ORC website or click here to find out further details on fares and payment options. The cheapest and most convenient way to travel on Dunedin buses is by using the GoCard.
