Canterbury Local Transportation

• Public Transportation: Bus Crossing at the Exchange (☎366 8855; www.metroinfo.org.nz), at Colombo and Lichfield St., serves as the bus depot and information center. Open M-Sa 6:30am-10:30pm, Su 9am-9pm. Buses depart 6am-11:30pm; frequency depends on the route. Bus schedules at the bus exchange. Christchurch recently expanded its bus service to include a metro card system. Fares are calculated by three zones, and tickets cost $2.50-5, or $1.90-3.75 with a metro card. Metrocards can be purchased at the Bus Exchange. The Shuttle is a free service that sends yellow buses up and down Colombo St. every 10-15min. M-F 7:30am-10:30pm, Sa 8am-10:30pm, Su 10am-8pm. Get a route map at the visitors center.
• Taxis: First Direct (☎0800 505 550), Gold Band (☎379 5795), and Blue Star (☎379 9799) provide 24hr. service. Large groups should opt for Blue Star, which provides vans upon request. Corporate taxi companies tend to have higher rates.
• Car Rental: The major car rental companies are all in town but for cheaper deals, try one of the following. Most require renters to be 20+, hold a major credit card, and have daily rates around $35-45, though some go as low as $28. Pegasus, 127 Peterborough St. (☎0800 354 506, 365 1100, airport branch 358 5890; christchurchcity@rentalcars.co.nz); Rent-a-Dent, 132 Kilmore St. (☎365 2509 or 0800 736 822). Ace Rentals, 237 Lichfield St. (☎366 3222 or 0800 202 029; fax 377 4610) arranges drop-off and pickup.
• Automobile Clubs: AA Centre, 210 Hereford St. (☎964 3650 or 0800 500 444; www.aa.co.nz), sells excellent road maps and dispenses sage traveling advice. Breakdown service available to members. Annual membership standard $77, with vehicle recovery $122. Open M and W-F 8:30am-5pm, Tu 9am-5pm.
• Used Cars: Backpackers Car Market, 33 Battersea St. (☎377 3177; www.backpackerscarmarket.co.nz), between Durham and Colombo St. Open M-F 9:30am-5pm.
• Bike Rental: Wheels ’n Deals, 159 Gloucester St. (☎377 6655 or 02 7578 9163) rents quality road bikes and mountain bikes. All rentals include lock and helmet. Mountain bike rentals from $19; $24 per day. Road bikes half-day $30, full-day $39. Open M-F 8:30am-5:30pm, Sa 10am-4pm, Su 11am-4pm. City Cycle Hire (☎0800 343 848; www.cyclehire-tours.co.nz). Picks up and delivers bikes to you. For city use, half-day $25, full-day $35; mountain bikes $30/45. Open daily 8am-6pm.