Bee Card

ALL existing bus cards will need to be replaced with a Bee Card

Tauranga/Eastern Bay of Plenty Smartride Cards

Rotorua Smartride Cards

Balance transfers

Got unused credit on your old bus card? We are unable to provide cash refunds for any unused credit on the old bus cards.

However, you can transfer balances to your registered Bee Card starting from 6th July, up to the end of October 2020. We will process balance transfers as quickly as we can, but please be aware that this could take up to 10 working days. It’s likely we will have around 25,000 to process, so there is quite a bit of work to do.

CityRide cards (Rotorua)

Because of the way the CityRide card system works, the only way for the remaining balance to be transferred from your CityRide card to your new registered Bee Card is to bring both your old CityRide card and your new registered Bee Card into the Bay of Plenty Regional Council office on the corner of Fenton and Pukaki Streets Rotorua. If you have not got a Bee Card, the best way is to get one off Beecard.co.nz (it could take up to 10 days for the Bee Card to arrive), or you can get one from a bus driver or our office.

SmartRide cards (Tauranga, Eastern Bay (including Kawerau, Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne), Ōmokoroa and Katikati)

The easiest way to transfer the remaining balance from your SmartRide card is to fill out this form online. Note, you must have a registered Bee Card to use this form. If you have not got a Bee Card, the best way is to get one off Beecard.co.nz (it could take up to 10 days for the Bee Card to arrive), or you can get one from a bus driver or our office.

Alternatively, bring your SmartRide card and your Bee Card in to one of the following Bay of Plenty Regional Council offices and we’ll get you sorted

Multiple Bee Cards attached to one account

One of the great concepts of the Bee Card is you can have multiple Bee Cards attached to one account. This means the whole family, even extended family can be associated to the one account.

SuperGold

You will need to have your SuperGold travel concession loaded on to a registered Bee Card in order to continue your free bus travel. The easiest way to do this is via the Bee Card website.

When you request a card you will be asked for your SuperGold Card number and date of birth. This information will be checked automatically online with the Ministry of Social Development, and when validated the concession applied.

For those SuperGold holders without access to the internet, we will be working with support agencies to help you out. Alternatively, talk to family and see if they can associate your Bee Card to a family account.

Instead of showing your SuperGold card to a bus driver you’ll use your Bee Card to tag on and tag off the bus using the card readers by the door.

When you tag on with your Bee Card the card reader will recognise that you are a SuperGold customer and continue to travel free from 9:00 am on weekdays and all day weekends and public holidays.

If you use the bus during peak hours, use your Bee Card to receive the senior concession available in your region.

Don’t forget to tag off as you may be charged a default fare (even if you are travelling within the free period).

School students

School students will need to register their Bee Card to use on the urban bus services – fares will remain free for Tauranga students travelling to and from school, however regular fares will apply outside of these hours.

We will be working closely with schools, and have more detailed information for parents.