Flexi-stop trial
We are trialling a new safety initiative on buses. It will allow passengers to exit a bus closer to their destination at night.
About the trial
We're running this trial on bus route 18 — which runs between the City Centre and New Lynn. It will be available on this route every day of the week from 7pm until late.
During the trial customers can ask the driver to make a stop in-between regular bus stops on the route. We're calling this Flexi-stop.
Next steps
The Flexi-stop trial will run for 6 months — from 23 March until September 2026. After that we'll review feedback from the community and drivers and consider our next steps. Your feedback is very important so give Flexi-stop a go and email us if you have any questions or comments.
Key trial details
- Route 18 (between the City Centre and New Lynn)
- From 7pm until end of service
- Trial runs from 23 March to September 2026
How Flexi-stop will work
During the trial period, if you're travelling on bus route 18 after 7pm you can ask for a Flexi-stop. Route 18 buses that are offering Flexi-stop will have a sign in the front window.
When you get on tell the driver where you'd like to get off the bus. The driver must agree they know the location and that it would be a safe place to stop.
Any stop requests still need to be on the bus' normal route. Drivers will not travel down streets that are not part of the route. If a driver decides it's not safe to make a Flexi-stop, they will drop passengers at the closest official bus stop. Please be respectful of their decision.
Flexi-stops are for passenger drop-off only. You'll still need to get on the bus at a regular stop along the route.
3 steps to using Flexi-stop
- Ask the driver for a Flexi-stop — you could mention a bus stop, landmark or street name.
- Near your destination, push the stop button as a reminder of your flexi-stop.
- The driver will pull over at the agreed location but only if it is safe to do so and safe for you to exit.
Benefits of the trial
We're committed to making public transport as safe and convenient as possible. Flexi-stop will get you closer to your destination — reducing the final leg of your journey. This will hopefully help you feel more secure, especially in the evening.
In August 2025, we launched more frequent night bus services across the network. Flexi-stop could help make the night bus service safer and more convenient.
Flexi-stop is one of the initiatives being trialled to help improve safety across the AT network — for passengers and also for AT employees. Other safety features that we're currently adding are:
- easier ways to report to Crime Stoppers
- share my journey in AT Mobile
- more AT transport officers.
Give us your feedback
If you have used Flexi-stop, or have any relevant information, we want to hear from you. Share your thoughts with us via our survey or email us with any questions or comments.