Auckland Buses
The Link buses are the main form of bus transport around Auckland city and the suburbs. The Auckland Exporer bus is great for tourists wanting to visit many of the city's leading attractions. The main transport centre in Auckland is the Britomart transport centre.
Link buses
The Link Bus connects the Auckland suburbs to the downtown area of Auckland. They run every 7 to 8 minutes so you can just turn up at the stop and wait for the next bus to arrive.
City Link (Red Bus)
The city link buses are red and travel around the Auckland CBD area on a regular basis. The route is from Wynyard Quarter to Queen Street and up to Karangahape Road. The cost is $1.
Inner City Link (Green Bus)
Departing from the central Britomart Train Station, these green buses travel on a regular basis to Parnell, Auckland Museum, Newmarket, Karangahape Road, Ponsonby Road, Victoria Park before returning via SkyCity to the Britomart. With an AT HOP card, fares are based on the number of zones you travel through.
Outer City Link (Orange Bus)
The Outer Link bus is the best way to travel around Auckland's suburbs, departing every 15 minutes. They travel a full loop service from Wellesley Street, via the Universities, Parnell, Newmarket, Auckland Museum, Epsom, Balmoral, Mount Eden, St Lukes, Mt Albert, the MOTAT museum, Westmere, Herne Bay before returning to Wellesley St. With an AT HOP card, fares are based on the number of zones you travel through.
Pricing
Auckland is divided into 14 fare zones with your travel cost based on how many zones you travel through, rather than how many trips you take. This means you can transfer between AT buses, trains and ferries and pay just one fare for your entire journey with your AT HOP card.
Using AT HOP Card
With an AT HOP card you don't have to worry about having the correct amount of cash on you. The smartcard ticketing system allows you to easily top up your card for paying to travel on the bus, train or ferries. The HOP card cost $10 and you can purchase and top up from a wide range of retailers. Click here for a list of HOP retailers.
Night Bus
From midnight until late, the Night Bus and Northern Express buses are a handy way to get home after a night out. Bus Routes to North, South, East, West and Central suburbs operate on Friday and Saturday nights with normal fares applying.
In the CBD, buses depart from Customs Street, Civic/St James, Victoria Street and Queen Street. 12 services travel to Auckland North, South, East, Central and West suburbs. The Night Bus does not operate on Christmas Day or Good Friday.
City Tour Bus
The Hop on Hop off Auckland Explorer Bus is a guide bus taking you around the city's 14 main attractions, accompanied with full commentary. A one day pass enables a tour of all the main attractions including Kelly Tarlton's out towards Mission Bay, Skytower, Auckland Museuem in Parnell, Parnell Village, the Viaduct Harbour, MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology) and Mount Eden for fantastic views of the city. Catch the bus from the Ferry building, Sky City or the Civic Theatre on Queens Street.
Airport Bus
The Skybus Airport Express service which runs 24/7 and terminates at Britomart. The bright blue buses run every 15 minutes during the day and every 20-30 minutes off peak. A local bus is a cheaper option but they are infrequent and harder to find.
SkyBus tickets are available at both Auckland Airport International and Domestic terminals at the ticket booth just outside the terminal. You can purchase tickets online, or from the SkyBus City Lounge located at 396 Queen Street in the city centre where you can also enjoy free WiFi and live flight information (Card payment only).
Nationwide Bus
The Intercity bus network travels to 700 destinations throughout New Zealand. A variety of fixed and non-fixed itinerery travel passes are available to enable you to travel at your own pace and give you maximum flexibility to travel throughout New Zealand.
