CityRide Bus Services

Tours & Transport / Central

Getting around Rotorua by bus is easy, affordable and reliable – just look for the big lime-green CityRide buses.

The CityRide Rotorua buses are operated by Bay Bus and run daily, including Sundays and public holidays.
 
Eleven bus routes cover the Rotorua urban area, and include many tourist attractions in their stops. The timetable and rates can be found and downloaded from here and the website has a journey planner here.

Use Route 10 to get to and from Rotorua Airport. The one-way journey to or from the Arawa Street depot in the city centre takes roughly 20 minutes and runs hourly.
 

All buses are wheelchair accessible with super-low floors and ramps.

 

Current Rotorua fares, in NZD, for 2023:

  • Cash (standard one way): $2.80 for adults; $1.70 for children ages 5-15 years old (children under 5 ride free)
  • Daysaver: Travel on any CityRide route for $7.00
 

It helps to have exact change for your fare as it makes boarding quicker and the journey time shorter for the other passengers. If not, please try and carry smaller amounts of money and avoid large notes. Drivers only carry a small amount of change.
 

Transfers between buses

When paying with cash:

  1. Free transfers between buses apply for one hour from ticket purchase.
  2. The transfer time between buses can be no more than 30 minutes.
  3. You can only have a maximum of one free transfer per journey.
  4. You will need to present your ticket when transferring to the next bus.
 

Use an app to track your bus

Transit App uses real-time GPS data.

The app allows you to:

  • know when your next bus is arriving;
  • see exactly where your bus is in real-time;
  • look up future departures and route itineraries; and
  • plan your trip.
Frequently asked questions can be found here.