SuperGold free bus travel to be limited

BUS fares for SuperGold card holders will no longer be free at all times from next month.

A $2 flat fare will be charged when using a Bee Card during peak times, between 7am and 9am and 3pm and 6.30pm on weekdays, from March 1.

A $3 charge is applied for forgetting to tag off the bus, even during offpeak times.

The rest of the time, including weekends and public holidays, will travel will still be free for

SuperGold card holders.

SuperGold card holders have been able to travel free on the Orbus network at all times of the day since the Bee Card ticketing system was launched in September last year.

Otago Regional Council transport manager Garry Maloney said the offer was introduced to ease the transition to the new ticketing system and encourage older bus users to get their concession loaded on to their Bee Cards.

‘‘This has clearly gone well,’’ he said.

By December, travel with a SuperGold concession on a Bee Card had almost returned to normal levels and more than 10,000 registered Bee Cards in Otago had a SuperGold concession loaded on to them — a quarter of all total registered cards in the region.

Mr Maloney said regional councillors voted in favour of the change back to charging SuperGold card holders during a full council meeting on December 9.

The SuperGold Card free offpeak travel concession is a national initiative.

‘‘Outside of Otago, staff believe only two other regions — Auckland and Bay of Plenty — offer free travel outside of the nationally mandated eligible time periods,’’ he said.

The regional council will make further decisions on bus fares — including whether it will keep the $2 flat fare which is being trialled — later this year, through its its regional public transport plan and longterm plan.