- Free for children aged under 13 years.
- Half price for 13-24-year-olds.
- Half price for Community Services card holders.
For the discounts to be available, people will need to have a registered Bee Card that has their new concessions loaded.
In the Waikato region, 167,900 Bee Cards have been issued, with 65 per cent of them registered.
“For those people already with a registered Bee Card, the only action might be to check their date of birth is included in their profile,” Ms Knight said.
“We know there are others with an unregistered Bee Card, and many parents who will need to order Bee Cards for each of their children aged 5 and over to get the free and discounted travel when they tag on and off each trip.”
People can apply for a Bee Card and register for Community Connect concessions at busit.co.nz/beecard
Community Connect is funded by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and facilitated by Waikato Regional Council, with its public transport operators: Go Bus (Hamilton routes), Tranzit (Waikato regional routes) and KiwiRail (Te Huia).
Children aged under 5 won’t require a Bee Card to access free travel. SuperGold Card holders will continue to travel for free on all Waikato bus and train services when the concession is loaded to their Bee Card, and Total Mobility will continue to be half-price. An accessibility concession enabling free travel will also continue to be available for eligible people residing in the Waikato region when the concession is loaded to their Bee Card.