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 2026. 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, also available via the Metro Tas App, now with real-time tracking for general access services.
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 5 February 2026. 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 5 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.
Enjoy Free Travel until 30 June 2027
Tasmanians can travel on Metro buses for free, with no fare or GreenCard required on services across the State until 30 June 2027.
This the Tasmanian Government cost‑of‑living initiative is designed to help ease pressure on household budgets, particularly as fuel prices remain high. As more Tasmanians look for easier and more affordable ways to get around, Metro is here to help keep people moving, to work, to the shops, to appointments, and everywhere in between.
Free travel applies to all bus services statewide, including:
- adult, concession, urban, non-urban, and child/student fares
- all government-contracted school bus services that charge a fare
This initiative makes it simpler and more affordable to build public transport into everyday routines, whether you catch the bus regularly or are considering it for the first time.
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.
Please note that the Tasmanian Government’s half-price fare initiative is currently in effect.
This includes adult, concession, urban, non-urban, child, and student fares. There is no action required by Metro customers to receive half-price fares. If paying with cash, bus operators will charge the reduced fare. For GreenCard users, the discount will automatically apply, alongside existing benefits like the 20% discount and capped urban fares. During this period, the daily cap on GreenCard spending will also be halved. For further details on the fare changes, you can learn more here.
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.
- 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 printed 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