If you haven’t got a card yet, you’ll need to get one.

The next step is to register your card, if you haven’t already. You must register it, even though bus travel is currently free. When you register and input your details, including your SuperGold card number, the card will recognise you are eligible for a concession.

Why do I need to register if travel is free?

• By the end of the year, all bus networks across New Zealand will use an electronic smart card system. In Otago, like eight other regions, that card is the Bee Card.
• The NZ government has mandated that where there are electronic ticketing systems like the Bee Card, SuperGold card holders must use that card (not their SuperGold card) on public transport to benefit from concessionary travel.

All SuperGold card holders in Otago will need to get on the Bee Card system by 1 December. 

• Until at least the end of the year, your concession entitles you to free all-day travel during the Otago Regional Council’s (ORC) interim flat fare.
• Without a concession on your Bee Card, you pay a $2 adult fare. If you don’t have a Bee Card at all, you will pay a $3 cash fare in Dunedin and $4 in Queenstown.
• The Bee Card system informs us about where and when 65+ bus users travel to/from. This allows us to improve the network for all ages of passengers.
• Beside the cost benefit, if you lose a registered card, it’s easy to replace (credit included).

How do I get a card/register?

Get a card from your bus driver, www.BeeCard.co.nz or ORC offices, including our new customer service desk at Philip Laing House, on the corner of Rattray and Princes Street, across from the Exchange. We are on level 2, accessible by lifts.

You can also get a card from Dunedin City Council Customer Centres and the University Book Shop.

Register your card online at www.BeeCard.co.nz or if you need a bit of help, call us. We can do it over the phone. Call us on 0800 ORBUSDN (0800 672 8736) for free.

We will need your Bee Card number, first and last name, date of birth, address, phone number, email address (if you have one), SuperGold card client number.

You can also come and see us at an ORC or email transport@orc.govt.nz.

Free Bee Cards end 31 Oct

The promotional period for the Bee Card ends this month. The last day to get a free card or to transfer or donate credit from your GoCard is Saturday, 31 October.

The Bee Card is $5 from 1 November and can be purchased at usual retailers or cash on the bus.