Back To School – make sure your kids tag on and off Back To School – make sure your kids tag on and off
Date: 12 February 2025
We’re heading into the busiest time of the year on Auckland’s public transport network as thousands of school children head back to the classroom, joining the tens of thousands of adult passengers who’ve recently swapped the beach for the office.
Auckland Transport (AT) is focussed on making sure students can get to school on time on one of the approximately 500 school bus services AT runs across the region.
AT’s Group Manager for Public Transport Operations, Rachel Cara, says students and parents have a vital role to play in helping to make sure Auckland’s school bus system runs smoothly.
“Because there can be quite big changes to school rolls at the beginning of the year there will always need to be some tweaks and adjustments to school bus services to keep up with demand,” Ms Cara said.
“Parents can help AT by encouraging their children to make sure they tag on and off each bus trip.
“It’s important that everyone tags onboard, so we can get accurate information about how many students are onboard each bus, to enable our teams to make informed adjustments to school bus timetables or bus sizes.
“Remember that every school bus trip helps reduce the number of cars competing for space outside schools.”
Plan the trip back to school using our journey planner and mobile app
Most schools across Tāmaki Makaurau are also well serviced by AT’s urban bus network, which school children can also take to get to class.
You can use our journey planner to help find which bus route is best to get to your school.
Our AT mobile app can provide real time information on live departures, if a bus is running late, or is at capacity. Signing up to notifications on our mobile app will also keep you better informed.
Changes to school bus services
With schools back in full swing, AT has made some important changes to school bus services based on last year’s passenger data:
• Introduced an extra 047 morning service from Silverdale to Westlake Schools.
• A new school route S449 from Westlake Boys to the Hibiscus Coast to help with the current S049 service.
• A new school route S408 to support Sacred Heart College.
• An extra morning 007 bus (Glengarry shops to Green Bay High School) to help with the current 007 service which starts from Oratia District School.
• An extra morning 076 bus (Woodlands Park to Green Bay High School) to help with the current 076 route which starts from Laingholm.
• An extra morning and afternoon 006 bus from Beach Haven to schools in Westlake. This will assist students travelling to and from Westlake Boys High School, Carmel College and Westlake Girls High School.
• An extra 547 morning bus service from Panmure to Selwyn College via Stonefields.
• An extra 027 bus from the Hibiscus Coast to Long Bay College to help with the current 027 route from Stanmore Bay.
• A new school route S550 bus for St Thomas’s School added in term 4, to help demand in the Eastern Bays.
If you would like to provide AT with any feedback on our school bus services, please get in touch with us. There are several ways you can contact us here.