Bee Card

Bee Card is our electronic bus card, and is the best way to pay for public transport in the Horizons Region. It is faster, more convenient and provides cheaper fares than if you pay in cash.

To get a Bee Card, you can order one online at beecard.co.nz, purchase one on board from the bus driver (cash only), visit the Whanganui or Palmerston North iSite, or visit the Whanganui or Palmerston North Horizons Regional Council office. You'll then need to register your card on the Bee Card website.

Bee Cards cost $5 to purchase, with a minimum $5 top up upon purchase. You can top up your card any time on the Bee Card website, or by popping in to one of the Horizons Regional Council offices listed above.

You can learn more about the Bee Card here, and more about our fares and concessions here.

Bee Card changes

The Bee Card scheme will end in the Horizons Region when we switch to Motu Move - a new national ticketing and payment system that will provide easy, consistent ways to pay for buses, trains and ferries across the country.  It will bring the option to pay by contactless debit or credit cards, smartphones and watches, or a prepaid Motu Move card. By making payments easier, it will encourage more people to use public transport more often.
For more information on Motu Move go to motumove.govt.nz.

We have not yet been given a date for when the Horizons Region will transition from Bee Card to Motu Move. In the meantime, it is still worthwhile to get a Bee Card. Bee Cards give you cheaper fares than cash, and enable you to access fare capping. Fare capping means you only pay for a certain number of bus trips in the Horizons Region each week, after which you can have as many trips as you want that week for free. Learn more about fare capping here.

Fair and consistent conditions need to be set for the expiry of Bee Cards for all Bee regions in preparation for Motu Move. To do that, Bee Scheme is updating its expiry terms and conditions on 27 February 2025. To read all terms and conditions, visit beecard.co.nz

In the meantime, these important facts are worth keeping in mind:

• Only the Bee Card Terms and Conditions are changing on 27 February 2025.
• Bee Card holders don't need to do anything right now - keep using your Bee Card.
• You'll be given lots of notice and support to run down card balances and choose your new way to pay before Motu Move comings to our region.

We issued a public notice in January 2025 about the changing Bee Card terms and conditions – read more here.
 

Motu Move

Motu Move is the name of the National Ticketing Solution (NTS), a partnership between the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and 13 Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) which will provide a range of easy-to-use payment methods for all public transport across the country.

Motu Move will enable customers to pay for public transport using contactless debit or credit cards, and digital payment methods such as Apple Pay and Google Pay on mobile phones and smart watches, as well as a prepaid Motu Move card and pre-bought tickets.

Motu Move implementation began in Canterbury in late 2024 followed by a region-by-region rollout throughout 2026 and 2027. We have been told Motu Move will be rolled out to the Horizons Region in Quarter 3 of 2027. We will share more information as the rollout gets closer and specific dates are confirmed. 

For more updates, please find the latest information on the NZTA Waka Kotahi website.