Customer etiquette

Metlink supporting passengers, bus drivers and train crew with onboard etiquette campaign

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

GWC0002 Priority Seating Bus Metlink Web Tile 769x500 FA — Example of an etiquette campaign poster

A Metlink campaign aiming to create more pleasant journeys for customers and frontline staff by reminding passengers of onboard etiquette is being rolled out across its network.

Metlink General Manager Samantha Gain says its launch is well timed with Metlink’s two largest operators making significant progress on recruiting new drivers through individual recruitment campaigns and newly opened pathways for immigration.

“We know that ‘thank you driver’, a great local feature of Wellington’s bus network, is widely heard and there are a few other simple things we can all do to support fellow passengers and all our frontline staff, especially newly employed drivers in their new working environment”.

Alongside thanking onboard staff and drivers, with COVID still around the campaign also encourages good hygiene habits, creating space for others and giving up priority seats among other messages.

Each message was devised alongside operators and using passenger feedback from Metlink’s complaints database.

The instruction to ‘ride like your aunty is watching’ features on each concept and is drawn from insight that good behaviour is exhibited when a senior family member is around.

“We want people to smile when they see the illustrations and take a moment to think about others on their journey. With its relatable tone and clever illustrations, we’re confident the messages will be well received,” adds Ms Gain.

Metlink is considering introducing the ‘Aunty’ concept to more specific health and safety messages around safely using the stairwell in double deckers and reminders to fill the seats at the back of the bus first.

The creative executions are being installed in Metlink buses, trains, and the harbour ferries while digital signage at Wellington Station will also cycle through the set of key messages.

Metlink’s ‘customer etiquette’ information campaign initially began in 2020 but was disrupted for two years due to covid. It cost $176,000 over 3 years, including design, production and installation across nearly 200 train carriages, over 450 buses, and three harbour ferries.

Ride like your aunty is watching

Campaign examples

GWC0002 Priority Seating Bus FB Static Ad 1x1 FA — In a bus, a standing pregnant woman looks at a man in a priority seat. His aunty frowns.

Good manners are always welcome on board.

It's always polite to give up a priority seat to someone who really needs it. It's what aunty would expect of you.

GWC002 Say Thanks Train FB Static Ad 1x1 FA — A young man on a train platform waves goodbye to a smiling crew member. His aunty smiles at him.

A little courtesy goes a long way.

Our crew always appreciate a 'thank you' when you hop off the bus or train. You'll make aunty proud, too.

GWC0002 Bags Bus FB Static Ad 1x1 FA — A bus rider holds a large inflatable crocodile across his lap, blocking the aisle. His aunty frowns.

Ride like your aunty is watching.

If you have a habit of leaving bags or bulky things in the aisle, try to remember what aunty would say, and put them on your lap instead.

GWC0002 CoughSneeze Bus FB Static Ad 1x1 FA — On the bus, a woman and a girl cough into their elbows. An approving aunty smiles in the background.

A little courtesy goes a long way.

When you feel a sneeze brewing, please aim it into your elbow, just like aunty taught you.

GWC002 Noise Train FB Static Ad 1x1 FA — A man on the train listens to music blaring from his headphones, as his aunty watches disapprovingly.

Good manners are welcome on board.

Enjoy your music, but please keep it to yourself while on board. Your aunty might be listening...

GWC0002 Make Space Bus FB Static Ad 1x1 FA — A teenager blocks the bus aisle with their sousaphone, as their aunty frowns from behind.

A little courtesy goes a long way.

You know how hard it can be to move through blocked aisles or doors. That's why aunty would like you to make a little space and let people past.

GWC0002 Let People Off Train FB Static Ad 1x1 FA — A young make waits for an elderly lady to get off the train, as his aunty smiles from the platform.

Ride like your aunty is watching.

Please let other people off before you get on. They'll appreciate it and so will aunty.