School bus routes FAQ

All students travelling on Tauranga dedicated school or Tauranga Urban Bayhopper bus routes can travel for free before 9am and between 2.30 and 6.30pm. Except For Route 80 (Katikati Express), 81 (Omokoroa) and 221 (Te Puke)

This trial has been extended until the end of 2021 and applies to school days only.

A Bee card is required for some routes please review the Bee card requirements for your bus

There have been significant changes to school routes.  Please look for route details here.

Students should wait at the named bus stop around 5 minutes before the time shown on the bus timetable and signal the driver when they see the bus coming. Please stay well clear of the road when you do this.  

Each route has specific stops, with timings given for key stops. The timetables with the stop locations are here.

The journey children take to get to school is a shared responsibility between parents, the bus company, the school, Regional Council, and the child. The bus company is responsible for providing a safe bus and a qualified bus driver. Schools will follow up on reports of disruptive behaviour or vandalism. Parents need to make sure that their child is capable of travelling on a school bus and managing transfers between buses without assistance.

By law a Loading Certificate must be displayed on the front windscreen of the bus, which details the number of primary and secondary students it can carry. Bus companies can receive a fine for exceeding their loading limit, so although a bus may look overcrowded, it is rare for a bus to be overloaded. If you are concerned about the loading on a particular bus, please note the registration number and use the contact form on this website to let us know.

Some rural routes continue to be Ministry of Education funded and other routes are funded by schools and users. For Ministry of Education rural routes and SESTA routes, please contact your school.

If you would like to suggest a change, please let us know by calling us on 0800 4 BAY BUS or emailing school.transport@boprc.govt.nz and we will take a look into the suggestion. You can also use the online feedback form.

If the bad behaviour is serious (is a major distraction to the driver or puts other passengers at risk), the student may be stood down from the bus for a period of time. For less serious behaviours, a student may receive a warning or be asked to sign a behaviour contract.

Please email school.transport@boprc.govt.nz or call 0800 4 BAY BUS

No, these services are for school students only.

NZ Bus operate the school bus routes in Tauranga

• For any items left on the bus, please contact NZ Bus directly on 0800 200 569 or email ServiceDeliveryTauranga@nzbus.co.nz.