Constellation Drive station was closed following a bus fire. Photo: NZTA / Supplied
Emergency services are responding to a bus fire near Constellation Busway Station on Auckland's North Shore on Sunday afternoon.
Police said the bus struck the edge of an overpass shortly after 1pm, before catching fire.
Thick smoke billowed across the nearby Sunset Road and Constellation Drive area, and cordons have been put in place, as crews work to extinguish the blaze.
Motorists and pedestrians are urged to avoid the area, and follow directions from emergency services.
SH1 NORTHERN MOTORWAY, NORTHBOUND - EMERGENCY SERVICES INCIDENT- 1:35PM, SUN 2 NOV
— NZ Transport Agency - Auckland & Northland (@nztaaklnth) November 2, 2025
There is an emergency services incident on the Northern Busway. The Constellation Drive station is closed, traffic in the area is congested but all Northern Motorway lanes are open. ^KF pic.twitter.com/jzPMrsOXJ4
Police said nearby residents and businesses should keep doors and windows closed to stop smoke entering buildings.
There are no immediate details on injuries or how many people were on board at the time.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand and police are at the scene.
No passengers aboard
Auckland Transport (AT) said the bus involved was not carrying passengers and the driver exited safely, before the vehicle caught fire.
The blaze was extinguished and the bus was being removed from the site.
AT expected the Constellation Bus Station to re-open within a few hours, once emergency services and engineers had completed safety assessments.
The busway overbridge, which sustained impact damage, would remain closed until it could be inspected by a structural engineer. Bus routes that used the overbridge - including the 95C, 843, 871, 901, 902, 906 and 907 - were diverted in the meantime.
Buses using the Northern Busway were being detoured via the Northern Motorway and customers would be updated via the AT Mobile app, when the station fully re-opened.
No surrounding roads were closed and car traffic still moved through the area.
Second major Auckland bus fire in days
The blaze comes just days after a fatal crash on Tamaki Drive, where a car collided with an electric bus, killing the driver and igniting both vehicles.
Bus driver Sean Cleary, 61, was killed on 22 October, when a car collided with the bus he was driving, sparking a fire that spread from the car's engine.
Fire and Emergency (FENZ) stated that 10 appliances and three ambulances were dispatched to the scene, while Auckland Transport described the incident as "a serious and distressing incident".
AT public transport director Stacey van der Putten said the agency would work closely with police, FENZ and the operator to understand what happened.
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