Our bus services GizzyBus and Waka Kura school buses use Bee Card smart cards.
Bee Card makes bus travel easy
- Tag on, tag off
- Easy online auto top up
- Cheaper fares
- Contactless payment
- Easily check your balance
- Use in other regions too
Get a Bee Card
Bee Cards usually cost $5. However, for a limited time, we're waiving the $5 fee and offering a free Bee Card when you sign up in person at the library or our customer services counter.
Minimum top up is $5 credit.
Buy a card in person
You can get a Bee Card from:
- Council Customer Service Counter, Fitzherbert Street
- HB Williams Memorial Library, Bright Street
Cards purchased at these locations may show as "inactive" in your online account for up to 24 hours while they are uploaded to the national database. Once activated, you can register your card online.
Order a Bee Card online
Order a Bee Card online
Cards cost $5, including postage. Please allow up to 10 working days for delivery.
Register your Bee Card
Registering your Bee Card helps protect your balance and makes it easier to manage your card.
To register your Bee Card, visit Beecard.co.nz
Once your card is registered, you can:
- Top up online.
- Set up Auto Top Up to automatically add credit when your balance falls below your chosen threshold.
- Check your balance.
- Protect your balance if your card is lost or stolen.
- Manage multiple Bee Cards under one account.
- Load child or SuperGold concessions if you're eligible.
Top up your Bee Card
Online top ups
Top up your card online at BeeCard.co.nz.
Online top ups can take up to 12 hours to activate and may show as "pending" until you tag on to a bus.
Top up in person
You can top up your Bee Card:
- On a GizzyBus service (cash only)
- At Council's Customer Service
- At HB Williams Memorial Library
Top ups made in person are applied immediately.
SuperGold card users
To continue enjoying free travel between 9am and 3pm, make sure your SuperGold concession is loaded onto your Bee Card.
Rather than showing your SuperGold card to the driver, simply tag on and tag off using your Bee Card.
If you plan to travel outside the free hours, make sure your Bee Card has enough credit loaded, as standard adult fares will apply.
Use it - tag on and off
Tap your Bee Card on the reader as you board the bus.
Wait for the beep and green light, then you’re ready to travel.
When you’ve reached your destination, tag off using the reader as you leave the bus.
If you don’t tag off, you'll be charged the higher default fare.
Frequently asked questions
Children under 5 travel free and don't need a Bee Card.
Every passenger aged 5 and over must have their own Bee Card to receive the discounted fare, including:
- Community Service Card holders
- SuperGold card holders
Community Connect is a Bee Card concession available for Community Service Card holders.
It providesL
- A free Bee Card if you don’t already have one
- Half-price adult fares on the GizzyBus service.
For more information visit BeeCard - Community Connect
Bee Cards usually cost $5.
However, for a limited time, we're waiving the $5 fee and offering a free Bee Card when you sign up in person at the library or our customer services counter.
Bee Cards ordered online still cost $5, including postage.
If your Bee Card didn't work, check that:
- you've activated your card online using the 3-digit security code
- you've tapped the card correctly on the reader
- you've entered the correct cardholder date of birth when registering
- you have sufficient funds on your card.
Yes. Auto Top Up automatically adds credit to your Bee Card when your balance falls below your chosen threshold.
If a payment fails, for example due to insufficient funds, Auto Top Up will be suspended and you'll need to reactivate it once the issue has been resolved.
Yes, but cash fares are more expensive than using a Bee card.
In the future, bus services will move to fully contactless payment and cash payments will be phased out.
Yes, although we recommend that everyone has their own Bee Card.
Tag on as normal and speak with the driver. They can deduct additional fares from your Bee Card balance for other passengers.
Remember to tag off when leaving the bus.
Yes, you can link multiple Bee Cards to one account.
Each card has its own balance, so money can't be shared between cards.
While the same email address cannot be used for multiple Bee Card accounts, up to 100 Bee Cards can be linked to a single account.
If your registered Bee Card is lost or stolen, you can cancel your card online or in person.
Replacement cards are currently free and your balance can then be transferred to your new card.
Balances cannot be transferred from lost or stolen cards that are not registered online.
Contact us. All refunds and reimbursements are considered at the discretion of Gisborne District Council.
Bee Cards can be used on participating bus services through New Zealand, including:
- Northland
- Waikato
- Bay of Plenty
- Taranaki
- Hawke’s Bay
- Manawatū-Whanganui
- Nelson
- Otago
- Invercargill