Going to Ed Sheeran? AT’s buses have you covered

It’s going to be a busy weekend on Auckland’s transport network with thousands of Ed Sheeran fans expected as the music superstar kicks off his global tour with two gigs at Go Media Stadium this Friday and Saturday night.

With trains on their summer maintenance shutdown, Rail Replacement Buses (RRBs) will be operating on all lines, and extra bus services will be running to help fans get to the concerts and home again.

“If you have a ticket to the gigs, you’ll be able to ride any of our buses for free, including NX services, starting from 2pm until the end of daily services,” says Todd Hurley, event planning lead at Auckland Transport’s (AT) operations centre.

“Simply show your ticket to the driver when boarding and remember to keep your event ticket for the journey home.

“After the gigs, expect longer wait times as we move as quickly as possible to get everyone home safely.

“Roads will be busy and demand for Ubers, taxis, and other rideshare services is likely to be high, so allow extra time if you’re getting dropped off or picked up.”

AT ambassadors will be operating a customer enhancement pop-up at Go Media Stadium near the Special Event Bus drop-off/pick-up area to build the atmosphere for concertgoers, including temporary tattoos, face painting and glitter stations.

The concerts run from 5.15pm to 10.45pm, with gates opening at 4pm. Make sure to plan ahead and allow extra time to travel to and from the event.

Visit at.govt.nz/events to find more information about public transport options or use AT’s journey planner or Mobile app.

Special event buses will run at least every 10 minutes, with additional services operating as required for a ‘load and go’ service, between 3.30pm-7pm from Auckland CBD at 120 Quay Street to a temporary bus stop on Station Road, between O’Rorke Road and Maurice Road, and for one hour post-event or until queues are cleared, to Auckland CBD at Customs Street West opposite H&M.

From 3pm to 1.30am there will be bus diversions due to road closures on both concert days.

The following roads in Penrose will be closed from 3pm to 1.30am:

• Station Road
• Maurice Road
• O’Rorke Road
• Beasley Ave
• Olive Road
• Fairfax Ave

From 3pm to 1.30am, bus route 66 will detour through Great South Road and Rockfield Road while RRB (Onehunga) will detour through South-Eastern Highway and Great South Road. Bus stops for routes 66, 67A and 74 will be impacted.

Route 66 buses will not be stopping at:

• Stop 8179 Maurice Road travelling towards Go Media Stadium – use stop 8268 Mount Smart Road/Rockfield Road.
• Stop 8174 Maurice Road travelling towards Pt Chevalier – use stop 8267 Mount Smart Road/Rockfield Road.
• Stop 8177 Olive Road travelling towards Go Media Stadium – use stop 8268 Mount Smart Road/Rockfield Road.
• Stop 1892 Olive Road travelling towards Pt Chevalier – use stop 8267 Mount Smart Road/Rockfield Road.
• Stop 1855 #29 Station Road travelling towards Pt Chevalier – use stop 7624 Penrose Station/Great South Road.

Routes 67A and 74 will not be stopping at Stop 1878 Go Media Stadium; use stop 8164 Goodman Place.