News

National restriction on use of bike racks on buses to be implemented in Canterbury

Read about the full restriction to bike racks, which affects public transport buses across the country.

Temporary restriction on bike rack usage at night-time to be put in place on buses

Read about the temporary night-time bike rack restriction which will be in place from Saturday 2 November 2024.

Public transport support on its way to help customers this cruise ship season

Read about the Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury)'s decision on its funding for this cruise ship season.

Expect delays for your bus journeys into the city centre this weekend

Read about the roadworks planned for this weekend which are expected to cause delays to services.

What to expect with our public transport this cruise ship season

Read below about this year's cruise ship season.

Consulting on a ten-year plan for public transport in Canterbury

Have your say on Environment Canterbury's Regional Public Transport Plan, which is now open for consultation.

New Diamond Harbour ferry dives into operation

Read about Diamond Harbour's new ferry, Black Pearl.

Detour for Routes 100, 120, 130 - Ilam Rd, Creyke Rd, and Clyde Rd stops affected

Starting 9 September 2024, long-term roadworks on Clyde Road and Creyke will impact some routes.

On a roll – record post-earthquake patronage for Greater Christchurch

Read about Metro's patronage boost in Greater Christchurch.

Celebrating our acceleration into our electric future

Read about the 21 new electric vehicles added to our fleet.

Catch a Metro bus to this year’s Winter Fireworks Spectacular

Find out the best ways to bus to this year's Winter Fireworks Spectacular.

Route 87 Southbridge to Lincoln trial to end

The trial of Route 87 will conclude after 30 June 2024.

Real-time information becomes a reality on buses

Four Metro buses have been installed with next-stop information.

Metro customer support team hops on board

Read about Metro's new onboard customer support team, which begins this week.

Fare not, Canterbury!

Read about the government's changes to its Community Connect concessions scheme and how it impacts our fares, below.

Public transport during SailGP

On 23 and 24 March, Lyttelton will host the New Zealand Sail Grand Prix or “SailGP”. Please check the information below if you use Lyttelton bus/ferry services.

Transforming public transport

Find out more about our planned service improvements and goal and commitment to transform public transport to meet the needs of more people.

Pets on buses up for public discussion

Fare trial influences bus patronage bounce-back to pre-COVID levels

More travel options for cruise ship passengers this season

Read about the transport plan for cruise ship passengers this summer season.

Transition to cashless payment for buses and ferries

Cash is set to be removed as a payment option on the Greater Christchurch Metro Network in 2024.

Important changes from 4 September − Port to Port (8) and Northwood to Huntsbury (27)

Metro is pleased to announce, the launch of two new enhanced bus services, Route 8 − Port to Port/Airport to Lyttelton and Route 27 − Northwood to Huntsbury.

Free travel for 5-12 year olds with Metro

Young children aged 5-12 can now travel free on all Metro services when using their Metrocard effective Monday 14 August.

Major disruptions to Metro bus services on Friday 11 August

Major service disruptions are expected for Metro buses in Greater Christchurch on Friday 11 August from 9am to 3pm. Please plan ahead.

New Metro fares from 1 July

We’re excited to be launching our new Metro fares from 1 July, which will mean you can travel on any Metro bus in Greater Christchurch for $2 or less.

Return of full Orbiter service signals end of driver shortage

The Orbiter will return to its original timetable from 3 July, with buses running approximately every 10-minutes between 8am to 6pm on weekdays.

Express services to return to normal from Monday 8 May

From this coming Monday 8 May, the 1X, 5X and 95X express services will return to normal, and revert to not picking up passengers at non-express stops.

Disruptions to some Metro bus services on 14 April

Some Metro services will be disrupted on Friday, 14 April due to a stop-work meeting.

More support for Lyttelton bus service

More buses will be provided for the 28 bus route to and from Lyttelton on days when sizeable cruise ships are in port and there is high demand on the service.

Disruptions to some Metro bus services on 15 February

One of our operators will hold a stop-work meeting on Wednesday, 15 February which will affect some Metro services.

Bus Interchange to reopen at 4:30pm Monday 23rd

We are delighted to report that our technology supplier has resolved the issues and the Bus Interchange will reopen as of 4:30pm this afternoon (Monday 23rd).

Half-price fares extended until end June 2023

Half-price fares will continue through until 30 June 2023 following the Government’s extension of half-price public transport fares this week.

Major disruptions to Metro bus services on Thursday 27 October

Please plan ahead and if you can, consider taking an alternative form of transport to work or school on this day.

We continue to experience driver shortage-related network disruptions

The Metro network is currently experiencing disruptions due to driver shortages. Some services are more heavily impacted than others. Keep up to date.

Make a difference this World Car Free Day

Replacing a car journey with a more active form of transport like bussing, biking or walking can have a lasting impact on you, your wallet, and the environment.

Southbridge to Lincoln bus patronage still needs to improve

Patronage numbers on Route 87, Metro’s trial commuter bus service between Lincoln, Leeston and Southbridge, remain low.

Cheaper public transport fares coming

Exciting new fare changes on the horizon for all Metro customers. From next year, catching the bus around Greater Christchurch will be cheaper for EVERYONE.

Airport cash fares reduced with the opening of international borders

Coinciding with opening of international borders on 1 May 2022, we’ll be reducing the cost of cash fares when getting a bus to and from the airport.

Metro continuing to monitor COVID-related disruptions 

With the increasing spread of the Omicron variant, you may be wondering how the current COVID-19 situation might affect our public transport network. 

Metro fares temporarily reduced from 1 April 22

We are delighted to confirm that half-price fares for all of Metro’s bus and ferry services in Greater Christchurch will come into effect on 1 April 2022.

Child fare eligibility age raised to 18 and under

Metro recently raised the child fare age to 18 and under – meaning 18-year-olds are now eligible for child fares.

Metro bus services return to regular weekday timetables

Metro bus services return to regular weekday timetables

Services affected by union meeting on January 27

Some Metro services will be affected from 10:30 - 1pm due to annual union meeting this coming Thursday, 25 January 2022.

Free shuttle bus services for Sparks 2022

Headed to Sparks in the park on 22 January? We’re putting on free shuttle buses to provide easy travel to the event.

Reach your New Year’s goals with Metro

The New Year is a great time to make changes, even small ones. We've looked into the world’s most common New Year’s resolutions, and how bus travel can help.

Customer feedback shapes Metro route improvements

Customer feedback shapes Metro route improvements

Electric revolution for Christchurch’s Orbiter fleet

The popular Orbiter bus route has seven new electric vehicles joining its ranks, as Christchurch’s fleet of electric and low emission vehicles grows.

COVID-19 Service updates

Public transport in Greater Christchurch during COVID-19

Christchurch gains real time information for bus network

Customers will soon enjoy accurate, real-time arrival information, with data and technology that can integrate with other systems and evolve over time

Metro network to operate as normal on Monday 18 October

The planned stop work meeting on Monday 18 October has now been withdrawn and Metro services will be operating as normal.

Game changing public transport options for the community

The Council voted to take to the community a number of potential game-changing options to stimulate the Greater Christchurch public transport system.

Getting vaccinated? Travel free with Metro

We’re doing our bit in the fight against COVID-19 by removing the transport barrier for Canterbury and supporting our residents to get vaccinated.

Waimakariri bus services recently celebrate six months of operation

The service is a partnership between Environment Canterbury, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, Christchurch City Council and Waimakariri District Council.

Updated Southbridge service up and running

On Monday 26 July, 20 customers travelled into Lincoln on the updated Southbridge timetable.

Matariki fireworks – catch a bus

On Saturday 10 July 2021, special buses are being provided for easy access to and from the Matariki Fireworks event at New Brighton.

15 February Metro timetable changes

Metro timetable, route and name changes being introduced, following earlier changes in September and November 2020.

Direct services from Waimakariri to the City

Waimakariri residents now able to Park and Ride from Rangiora and Kaiapoi to the City.

Changes coming from Sunday 29 November

Metro passengers will see some timetable changes and different buses on some routes from the end of this month as new operator contracts begin.

Buses now running every 10 minutes on route 3

Buses on route 3 Airport/Sheffield Crescent to Sumner (the old Purple Line), are now running every 10 minutes all day on weekdays.

New look and schedules for Metro buses

Metro is taking steps to streamline operations for an easier to use network that encourages more public transport patronage.

A lower price for Metrocards

From Wednesday 1 July, the price of a Metrocard will be $5, down from $10.

Black Cat retains Diamond Harbour ferry contract

Black Cat Cruises signed the contract for the Diamond Harbour ferry service for 12 years from 2020, completing our public transport procurement process.

Environment Canterbury accelerates move to new, low emission buses

Environment Canterbury’s new bus contracts will reduce public transport carbon emissions by 14% within their first year.