What is Public Transport like in Sydney?

Sydney Public Transport Sucks?

• I hear from so many people that trains (and some but not many buses) suck in the eastern states such as in sydney and melbourne. like they are really filthy and ugly looking and they dont say the names of the stations and and they dont have aircon and stuff is this true? coz i live in perth and i might be going to sydney and if trains and buses r **** im gonna be pissed taking taxis everywhere

• Answer:

  Melbourne trains are privately owned and run and have their own issues, also their ticketing is based on time (e.g. you can buy a 2 hour ticket) though their tickets allow for use on trams and buses. In Sydney our ticketing is point to point and lasts all day. We also have a variety of other tickets to suit the needs to the traveler. Sadly there are some trains based on 40year old carriages, though have had fit outs, and there are a number that have no air con. Slowly they are increasing the number of new air conditioned trains. The Millennium trains auto announce the next next stop, but with the other trains it depends on whether or not the guard is on the ball. I find generally speaking that the trains in Sydney are quite ok and are improving, though slowly. Sydney's trains are cleaner these days as they are now hiring specific cleaning staff to clean trains whilst at stops. The peak periods are usually crowded when heading into the city (morning peak) and out of the city (afternoon). These peaks usually run from 7am - 9am and then 3pm - 6pm this also covers what I call the "school peak" which is when school students are on the trains as well. Buses are government run in the City and inner suburbs, and privately run elsewhere. The government buses are usually quite good and clean and run on time as best as traffic allows. Private buses vary from place with some better than others. Ticketing is usually separate to trains, though there are some tickets you can get which cover trains, government buses and ferries. I should let you know that some government bus routes have recently introduced pre-paid ticketing which means you need to buy your ticket before getting on board. Tickets are generally easy to find and purchase and are being sold at many newsagents and convenience stores across the CBD. My wife's cousin was recently over from Perth and lived here for about 6 months and he had no issues with the buses or trains himself, and he is about the same age as yourself. Sydney Trains Information: http://www.cityrail.info Sydney Government Buses: http://www.sydneybuses.info Sydney Ferries: http://www.sydneyferries.info/ Sydney Travel Planner: http://www.131500.com.au you can also call the number when you get here. Melbourne Trains: http://www.connexmelbourne.com.au/ Melbourne General Public Transport: http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/