In short
- Our timetables list 11 routes in Napier and Hastings, 20 in Palmerston North, 19 in New Plymouth and 7 in Nelson.
- All four networks use the Bee Card, which is cheaper than cash.
- goBay: a one-zone adult trip costs $2.20 with a Bee Card; Napier to Hastings is two zones, $3.40 (checked 24 October 2026).
- Palmerston North: $2.20 with a Bee Card for one zone, with a weekly cap of $17.60 and free transfers within an hour.
Four regional centres of New Zealand have compact city bus networks on buses.app: Napier and Hastings in Hawke’s Bay, Palmerston North in Manawatū, New Plymouth in Taranaki and Nelson at the top of the South Island. All four take the Bee Card. Timetables show scheduled times; live data is not published for these cities. Fares below were checked on 24 October 2026.
Napier and Hastings: goBay
Our timetables list 11 goBay routes and about 490 stops. Route 1 is the backbone between Napier, Hastings and Havelock North, and 1A links Napier and Hastings via Pakowhai Road. Route 2 runs from Napier to Taradale and EIT, route 3 to Maraenui and Tamatea, and route 4 via the airport to Bay View. In Hastings, routes 6 and 7 serve Flaxmere, route 8 is the Hastings Circular and route 11 goes to Te Mata.
Fares depend on zones. An adult pays $2.20 with a Bee Card or $3.40 in cash for one zone, and $3.40 or $4.40 for two zones. Trips between Napier and Hastings, Flaxmere or Havelock North count as two zones; the zone boundaries are Clive and EIT. Children under 5 travel free.
Palmerston North: Connect
Horizons Regional Council runs the city buses under the Connect brand. Our timetables list 20 routes and about 440 stops: urban routes 101 to 108, routes 121–123 to Massey University, route 114 to Ashhurst, plus regional links to Feilding, Marton and Whanganui. Since March 2024 the routes are more direct and more frequent, and Connect describes the fleet as the first fully electric one in Australasia. Route 101 serves the airport.
Since 19 January 2026 an adult pays $2.20 with a Bee Card or $3.50 in cash for one zone. With a registered Bee Card travel becomes free once you reach the weekly cap, $17.60 for one-zone trips (Monday to Sunday). Transfers are free if you catch the second bus within an hour. Staff and students of Massey University, IPU New Zealand, ETC and UCOL travel free in Palmerston North and Ashhurst; some need a Bee Card.
New Plymouth
Our timetables list 19 routes and about 310 stops, run by Taranaki Buses for the Taranaki Regional Council. Many city routes start from the Ariki Street Bus Hub and go to suburbs such as Moturoa (1), Whalers Gate (2), Lynmouth and Marfell (3), Westown (4), Frankleigh Park (5) and Merrilands (8). On Saturdays an Orbiter runs in both directions (10A and 10B). Longer routes reach Waitara and Bell Block (20, and the express 19), Inglewood (98), Ōpunake (106) and Hāwera (101). Bee Card fares are lower than cash; check current fares with the Taranaki Regional Council.
Nelson: eBus
Nelson and Tasman share the eBus network, run mostly with electric buses. Our timetables list seven routes and about 230 stops. Routes 1 and 2 link Richmond with Nelson, via Waimea Road and via Rocks Road and Tāhunanui; together they give a bus about every 15 minutes between the city and Richmond via Stoke. Route 3 runs from Atawhai to the hospital, route 4 from The Brook to the airport, and routes 5 and 6 are express services from Nelson to Motueka and Wakefield. Route 8 is the Late Late Bus. Many routes meet at The Nelson Bus Hub.
