In Christchurch and Timaru, Environment Canterbury (Canterbury Regional Council) is responsible for planning and tendering out the bus and ferry services, marketing and providing information such as timetables, telephone services and websites. The city and district councils that the buses travel through - Christchurch City, Waimakariri District, Selwyn District and Timaru District Councils - are responsible for providing and maintaining passenger transport infrastructure such as bus exchanges, stops, and shelters.

Red Bus Ltd, Leopard Coachlines Ltd, Christchurch Bus Services Ltd and Black Cat Ltd are responsible for supplying the vehicles and drivers for the bus and ferry routes they have been awarded through a tender process for the Christchurch passenger transport network.

Ritchies Transport Holdings Limited and Geraldine Tourism Services (for Twizel) are responsible for supplying the vehicles and drivers for the bus routes they have been awarded through the tender process for the Timaru passenger transport network.

In 2003, Metro was launched to provide a brand to be used uniformly across the passenger transport network in Christchurch. The Metro brand was extended to the Timaru passenger transport network in January 2007.