Regional councillor John Bain, who chairs the Northland Regional Transport Committee, said Free Ride Day's backers were hoping the public would get into the spirit of the day and take advantage of the offer.
"Given the smaller services use correspondingly smaller vehicles, we're also suggesting people ring the operator of their local service before their intended free trip just to make 100 per cent sure they'll have enough seats available," Mr Bain said.
The four operators varied in size - from the largest, CityLink, which runs a fleet of eight 40-seater buses in urban Whangarei carrying more than 1200 people daily, to the smallest, Hokianga Link, which operates a single 11-seater van on Thursdays during winter, expanding to Tuesdays and Thursdays over summer.
Meanwhile, as well as the free travel, organisers are inviting both users and non-users of the four services to take part in an online survey about their transport habits.
"As an extra incentive, those who complete the survey will go into a draw to win one of 10 grocery vouchers worth $50 each," Mr Bain said.
Facebook page www.facebook.com/NorthlandRegionalCouncil or check the BusLink website - www.buslink.co.nz - for timetables.
