It’s back to school time! Do you know which bus to catch?
As you or your child get ready to return to school, it’s time to familiarise yourself with the routes and timetables of the Metro bus services you’ll take in 2024. Don’t worry — getting from A to B is easy!
Planning your trip
There are many ways to find out which bus you need, but the easiest is to use the Metro Trip Planner.
Simply select your city, type where you want to leave from (or select ‘current location’ on mobile), type your destination, and select ‘plan my trip’ to see a list of travel options. Click on an option to expand it and see a map and details of the bus stop, route number and times.
Metro operates dedicated school bus services for some schools. A full list of all Metro school services can be found here, and general access timetables can be found here.
Please note: Metro school services start on 8 February 2024. Services marked on timetables as ‘S – Service operates on school days only’ will not be operating prior to this date. If your school term begins before 8 February, don’t worry, there are a range of general access services that may be operating in your area – you can find these, sorted by school, here. Your school has also been advised of the best alternate routes for students to catch.
GreenCard good to go?
A Metro GreenCard helps you save money and board quickly. Make sure it’s ready to go by adding credit online before school starts. You can avoid the hassle of topping up your credit by setting up an automatic top-up online. For information about GreenCard including how to manage your account online, click here.
If you or your child don’t have a GreenCard yet, you can:
- apply online and fill out the form
- visit us in person at one of our Metro Shops or depots
If you or your child need to replace a lost or stolen GreenCard, you can:
- log into your online GreenCard account
- visit us in person at one of our Metro shops or depots
- call our Metro information hotline on 13 22 01 (credit card transaction required)
- complete a GreenCard Replacement Form and return it to Metro, either in person or by mailing the completed form to: Metro GreenCard, PO Box 61, Moonah, 7009
You or your child may also be eligible for free student travel, a program managed by the Department of State Growth. For more information, visit the Department of State Growth website here.
Understand student fares?
Full-time students attending a recognised primary or secondary school, senior secondary college, TasTafe, university or Tasmanian College of English are eligible for Student Concession fares until the end of the year in which they turn 18.
From 1 January 2024, there has been an increase in the student fare. This is in line with Tasmanian government policy, with the last fare increase being in 2022. You can learn more about this fare increase here.
The new single trip fare is $1.60 with a Greencard, or $2.00 if paying cash.
The Student Greencard Daily Cap is $4.00 – this is the maximum fare amount a student will be charged in one day.
You may need to show student identification to receive Student Concession fares.
Students over 18 years of age may be eligible for an Adult Concession GreenCard, offering similar savings. Find out more information about adult student concessions here.
Free student travel
If you or your carer holds a concession card, you can apply to the Department of State Growth for free student travel. Once your application is approved, you will be issued with a Free Student GreenCard at no cost. Free travel applies on weekdays from 7am to 7pm. Outside the hours of free travel, you can use the card as a regular GreenCard by adding travel credit to it.
For more information or to see if you are eligible for this concession, visit the Department of State Growth website here.
Travel tips
To make your travel as smooth as possible:
- Be at your stop five minutes before your bus is scheduled to depart. This allows time for any delays during boarding.
- Signal for the bus driver to stop. Many different routes service each bus stop and it can be difficult for the driver to know which service you need.
- Be respectful of your driver and fellow passengers. As per our conditions of travel, offensive or disruptive behaviour will not be tolerated on Metro buses. Brush up on The Golden Rules for Riding a Bus before boarding.
- Keep in mind that there is currently a Temporary Service Adjustment in effect. Check the Trip Planner if you’re not sure.
- While we do our best to offer reliable service to all customers, there may occasionally be unplanned disruptions to our General Access services. We do not cancel dedicated school bus services (marked with an ‘S’ on timetables), but if you use a general access bus to get to school, be sure to check our ‘Network Updates’ page daily for any unplanned disruptions.
If you’re new to catching the bus, check out more handy tips here.
We’re here to help! For more information, contact our Customer Service team on 13 22 01 or contact@metrotas.com.au