On Wednesday the full timetable will be reintroduced, after the ORC cut services in Dunedin and Queenstown last July to increase reliability amid a flurry of bus cancellations.
Interim transport manager Doug Rodgers said Dunedin operators had told the regional council they had enough drivers to cope with the regular timetable, and were recruiting more.
"There may be teething issues, so we advise passengers to prepare for possible cancellations," he said.
More drivers had been recruited, he said, although the ORC would not specify how many when asked by the Otago Daily Times.
In August, it said 39 more drivers were needed before the full timetable could be reintroduced.
The reductions were anticipated to last at least one month when they were introduced, the disruption attributed to Covid-19 and driver illness exacerbating a national driver shortage.
Bus frequency on some Dunedin routes was roughly halved, and the overall service was reduced by about a third.
Dunedin Tramways Union president Alan Savell said drivers were all looking forward to the reintroduction of the full schedule.
Mr Savell said 2022 had been a difficult year for drivers, with the national shortage reflecting poor pay and a lack of recognition.
This year the outlook had improved, and he hoped there would be no need for reduced timetables in future.
"We’ve hit rock bottom and it’s all up from here," he said.
Steps to improve pay had increased bus driver morale.
In August the ORC approved more funding for bus operators to enable drivers to receive the living wage of $23.65.
In September it agreed to increase all its contract bus driver pay rates to the median wage of $27.76 per hour.
The Ministry of Transport announced in October it would spend $61 million over the next four years to boost public bus driver wages, and in December the Ministry of Education said it would spend $26million over four years to keep school bus driver wages in line with this.
"It makes such a difference when you actually feel like you’re valued," Mr Savell said.
It was also important to have good public bus services in order to reduce emissions.
He had not noticed an increase in driver numbers, although he believed more would soon be recruited from overseas.
In Queenstown, where services have been reduced by about a quarter, a return to a full service was set for June 1, the ORC said in a statement.
This follows ORC discussions with Queenstown bus operators shortly before Christmas.
Updated timetable information would be on the ORC website, on the Transit App and at the e-stops at the central Dunedin Hub. It would would also be phased in at bus stops from Wednesday. .
