We are proud of Auckland’s vibrant multicultural community and equally proud to once again help celebrate this year’s Diwali festival.
Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, is a major holiday celebrated by many South Asian communities.
To help mark this year’s festival, AT, MediaWorks and bus operator Kinetic have launched a fully wrapped double decker bus, providing passengers with an authentic experience of Indian culture and the tradition of Diwali.
The Diwali bus is part of a month-long campaign celebrating Auckland’s diverse communities. In the lead-up to this year’s festivities, AT is teaming up with MediaWorks’ Indian radio station, Humm, for a special on-board activation to bring the celebration to life.
Tomorrow (Thursday 9 October), Humm Breakfast will broadcast live from the Diwali bus from 6.00am, as it travels between Onehunga, Queen Street, Britomart and New Lynn. AT will be on board to hand out Diwali bus models and Indian sweets to customers as they tag off.
AT’s Director of Public Transport & Active Modes Stacey van der Putten says Diwali is a special time of year for Auckland’s communities.
“Diwali is one of Auckland’s biggest cultural festivals and buses are a great metaphor for Auckland’s culture with many people from different walks of life coming together to share a journey.
“The Diwali bus in particular is a cool way to show our support and we’re adding a function to the AT Mobile app so you can see which route the Diwali bus is on and when it is in service up until the start of November.”
Kinetic bus driver Inder, who originally came to New Zealand from India to study and loved it so much he decided to stay, will be behind the wheel of this year’s double-decker Diwali bus. He says he’s honoured to be part of something so meaningful for Auckland’s Indian community.
“Diwali is the biggest festival for us. We light diyas (oil lamps), share sweets, and pray for our family and loved ones. It feels great to see AT recognising our community in this way, and I’m proud to be part of it. My favourite part of Diwali will always be enjoying the fireworks and lighting diyas with my family — it fills everything with happiness and light.”
Another Kinetic driver, Kiranveer, who drove the first Bollywood-inspired Diwali bus in 2024, says it was an unforgettable experience.
“Driving the Diwali bus last year was wonderful. It was the talk of the town, and everyone wanted a photo. Passengers were even calling the depot to find out its schedule! I feel so proud to be part of this and grateful to AT for showcasing our culture to the wider community here in Auckland.”
More than 65,000 people are expected to attend this weekend’s BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival in Aotea Square, which will run from midday to 9.00pm across both days, showcasing contemporary and traditional Indian performances across three stages. Visitors can enjoy Bollywood dance competitions, music, exhibitions, traditional South Asian food, theatre, art installations, light projections, yoga classes, a chill-out zone, Bollywood movies and a spectacular public fireworks display to close the festival on Sunday evening.
With so many people expected, parking restrictions and road closures will be in place, and the streets are likely to be busy so we’re encouraging customers to travel the easy way on our buses, trains and ferries, with 5-15 years olds travelling free with a registered AT HOP card.
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