Getting started

All Metlink buses and trains have clearly marked priority seating areas for passengers with disabilities or mobility needs, the elderly, pregnant persons and caregivers with small children. Newer buses and trains on all lines, except for the Wairarapa Line, have high-contrast floor markings, green seat coverings (instead of the usual blue), and priority seating area stickers.

Passengers requiring a seat are encouraged to ask other customers seated in priority seating areas for their seat, if they feel confident to do so. We recognize that not all disabilities or impairments are visible, and encourage passengers to ask the driver to request passengers to vacate seats, if needed.

Have your card or fare ready

Have your Snapper card out, or your cash ready for the driver or train staff. This speeds up the boarding process so that everyone can get where they're going on time.

On at the front, off at the back. 

By exiting through the back doors you won't collide with people boarding the bus.

Slide across to window seats

We ask that passengers sit in seats by windows if possible, and leave aisle seats open for the next person. If you're getting off soon and another passenger wants to sit in your row, you can offer to swap with them so that it's easier for you to exit when you've reached your stop.

Hold on if you're standing up

For your safety, hold onto poles and handles throughout the vehicle, and reduce distractions, such as mobile phones, while the bus is moving.

Up top? Sit down.

Top decks of double deckers are for seated passengers only. Seat count screens in the stairwell will tell you how many seats are available before you head upstairs. Passengers must not be in the stairwell while the bus is moving. Please wait until the bus has pulled completely into a bus stop before coming down the stairs.

Press the button in plenty of time

Drivers need time to signal and slow down as they approach a bus stop. If no one is waiting at the stop, and the "Stop" button hasn't been pressed, drivers will pass the stop. 

Getting a seat on the train

Trains can be very busy during peak commuter times. There are some things you can do to make it more likely you can get a seat:

• Catch the services starting further down the line – for example, if you live in Tawa catch the services that start in Porirua, rather than those that stop at Paremata and Plimmerton.
• Get in a carriage towards the end of the train – the carriages that arrive and depart closest to Wellington Station are the most popular. Try walking up the platform to the carriages further away.
• Travel earlier or later during the peak period