What to expect with our public transport this cruise ship season

The first cruise ship is expected to dock in Lyttelton on Monday 14 October, officially kicking off the summer season of cruise ship visitors. 

We’re encouraging the local community and regular users of Route 8 Port-to-Port to be prepared for potential impacts on their travel on the days cruise ships are in town. 

Following the 2024-34 Long-Term Plan deliberations and adoption earlier this year, there is no available funding this season for the support measures that were in place last summer, which included extra support staff at key locations and additional buses and drivers available for extra services. 

From the work we did last year, the cruise industry is aware of the importance of appropriate pricing of shuttle services to ensure demand impacts on public transport services is minimised. We are expecting the industry to take this into account this season.

We ask that our customers plan ahead and allow more time for their journeys or adjust their travel times for those busier cruise days if they wish. 

Customers can view the cruise schedule for this summer here - select ‘Lyttelton’ for the Port on the left side of the schedule to see which cruise ships are arriving there. 

We want to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we accommodate our extra guests to the city over the summer months. A special thanks also goes to our drivers, and Bus Interchange staff, who do an incredible job managing these busy seasons. 

The last cruise ship of the season is expected to dock in Lyttelton in April 2025.