Bay of Plenty Regional Council is reporting Bay Hopper passenger records show the number of people using the service in Tauranga is on the up.

The free Saturday service is responsible for some of this increase with more than 7000 people using the bus last Saturday.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council transport policy manager Garry Maloney says this is 2000 people more than the previous Saturday when 5000 people took the opportunity to ride the bus for free.

'It's really great to see people using our passenger network to get into and out of the city,” says Garry.

'We've also had some positive feedback from shoppers on just how easy it is to get to where they want to go, and on the way home could just relax on the bus and enjoy the sights.”

The no-fare Saturday promotion continues until the end of November.