New bus fares to reward frequent users with regular free travel through Bee Card

Passengers using a registered Bee Card travel free once they hit a certain spending level each week. Photo / Horizons

Frequent users are set to be rewarded under a new pricing structure for buses in the Manawatū-Whanganui region.

Horizons Regional Council transport services manager Mark Read said all fares on Connect services will move to a zone structure from January 1.

“Instead of different prices for each service, the price will be based on how far people travel,” he said.

“A trip within a single zone will cost the same no matter where you live, with the price then increasing at a consistent rate as you travel through zones.

A one-zone trip will cost $2 for an adult using a Bee Card, then go up $1.50 per extra zone travelled through. All trips within Whanganui are one zone.

Read said it would make cash fares more expensive for people doing one-zone trips.

But fare capping in the new structure meant people paying with a registered Bee Card would get free buses after taking a certain number of trips in a zone each week.

“The more you ride Connect services, the more free trips you get each week,” Read said.

“For example, someone commuting to and from work in Whanganui will spend a maximum of $16 per week, with trips free from Thursday evening – something especially helpful if that person wants to use the late-night Te Ngaru The Tide service on Fridays to meet people after work.

“The capping scales to acknowledge people travelling longer distances. Someone travelling between Feilding and Palmerston North each day – a two-zone trip – will only need to take seven trips before hitting the cap.”

Students commuting from Whanganui to Palmerston North (a four-zone trip) will get free travel on the Palmerston North and Whanganui urban services from Wednesday evening each week.

“You must pay with a registered Bee Card to access fare capping, as it ensures your trips are accurately recorded each week. This also allows us to apply fare capping to concession fares,” Read said.

“We will have free Bee Cards at Horizons offices in Palmerston North and Whanganui, as well as on buses. We will also be giving them away at events, such as weekend markets.

“You can also order a Bee Card online although there is a cost when ordering online. That same website is where you can register your card and take advantage of functions like topping up online, having one account to manage multiple cards, and setting up an auto top-up to ensure you always have enough funds to travel.“

Information about the new fare structure is available on the Horizons Regional Council website.