World City Guide

Getting Around

Public Transport
Sydney’s mass transit system, incorporating bus, ferry and various rail services, is well developed, efficient and cheap. The Transport Infoline (tel: 131 500 (Australia only); website: www.131500.com.au) provides route, timetable and fare information for all buses, ferries and trains.

State Transit (tel: 131 500 (info line) or (02) 9245 57777; e-mail: info@sydneybuses.nsw.gov.au; website: www.sydneybuses.nsw.gov.au) operates Sydney’s buses. Buses run daily 0600-2400 and night buses operate on selected routes thereafter. Fare starts at A$1.60 for inner-city journeys and is available for purchase from the driver.

Sydney Ferries (website: www.sydneyferries.nsw.gov.au) runs the commuter ferry network that crisscrosses Sydney Harbour. Ferries ply between Circular Quay and approximately 30 destinations, daily 0600-2400. Fares start at A$4.50 and tickets are available for purchase at ticket offices and machines located at the ferry stops or, if there is no office or machine, on board.

CityRail (website: www.cityrail.info) operates the network of trains designed primarily for rapid transit between the suburbs and the city. The stops are not necessarily very convenient for tourists, who tend to remain within the city centre. Trains generally operate daily 0430-0100 with varying times on the different routes and a limited service or no service on some routes on the weekend. Fares start at A$2.20 and tickets are available for purchase from the railway stations.

Connex Sydney (tel: (02) 9285 5600; fax: (02) 9267 4846; e-mail: info@connexsydney.com.au; website: www.metrolightrail.com.au) operates the monorail and light rail services. The monorail shuttles between the city centre, Darling Harbour and the Chinatown areas, operating every 3 to 5 minutes Monday to Thursday 0700-2200, Friday and Saturday 0700-2400 and Sunday 0800-2200. Fares are A$4. The light rail service operates 24 hours between Central Station and Star City and Sunday to Thursday 0600-2300 and Friday and Saturday 0600-2400 between Central Station and Lilyfield. Fares start at A$2.80 and tickets are available for purchase on the trains.

Numerous money-saving passes are available, including the SydneyPass – a three-, five- or seven-day pass costing A$100, A$130 and A$150 respectively. This pass allows unlimited travel on public buses, harbour ferries, the Sydney Explorer bus and the Bondi Explorer bus as well as the three sightseeing cruises operated by the State Transit authority and train travel within the red (city and inner suburban) travel pass zone. A return trip on the AirportLink train is also included. Passes are available for purchase from TransitShops at Circular Quay and Wynyard Station and from the Sydney Visitor Centre, 106 George Street, The Rocks. The colour-coded TravelPass, valid for one week or more, allows for unlimited travel on public transport within a designated area. A weekly red bus, ferry and train TravelPass, for example, costs A$32.

A DayTripper pass is valid for travel on all regular buses, ferries and metropolitan area trains and costs A$15. A TravelTen bus pass is valid for 10 bus journeys and starts at A$11.80. A FerryTen ticket is valid for 10 ferry trips and starts at A$28.50.

There are also travel passes for the Sydney Metro. The Monorail Supervoucher Day Pass gives a full day of unlimited use for A$9, while the Metro Light Rail Day Pass costs A$8.40 and the Weekly Unlimited Trips Pass is A$20. A METROConnect pass is A$28 and allows for unlimited travel on both the light rail and monorail for one week.

All passes are available for purchase from the railway and bus stations, as well as from newspaper stands on bus routes.

Taxis
Taxi ranks can be found outside most bus and railway stations, as well as the larger hotels. The initial charge is A$2.65 and a 3km (2 mile) trip costs approximately A$7.25 Fares are subject to surcharges for telephone bookings, crossing the Harbour Bridge and using certain parts of the Eastern Distributor, where toll systems operate. Travel between 2200 and 0600 costs an extra 20%. Taxi drivers do not expect a tip, although fares are generally rounded up to the nearest dollar. Operators include Taxis Combined Services (tel: (02) 8332 8888; website: www.taxiscombined.com.au) and Premier Cabs (tel: 131 017, Australia only; website: www.premiercabs.com.au).

Limousines
Chauffeur-driven limousines are available for trips around Sydney, with an optional commentary. Operators include First National Limousines (tel: (02) 9948 2728) and Astra Chauffeured Limousines of Australia (tel: 132 121 (Australia only); website: www.astralimousines.com.au). Collection from the airport to the city costs from A$66.

Driving in the City
The construction of a new road network for the 2000 Olympic Games left many Sydney routes vastly improved. The Eastern Distributor tunnel, for instance, has made driving to the airport a breeze. The Cross-City Tunnel, due to open in late 2005, will help reduce city congestion by enabling travel from Kings Cross to Darling Harbour, under the CBD. Nevertheless, Sydney drivers are renowned for speed and intolerance and parking is invariably difficult and/or expensive.

Parking restrictions are clearly signposted and usually specify an hour or two of metered parking during business hours. There are ‘clearway’ zones that apply at certain times of day and vehicles will be towed away and impounded if they are found parked there during the times indicated. It is probably easiest for visitors to park in one of the car parks situated around the city centre and take public transport from there. A convenient central car park is the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) Car Park in York Street. Metered parking generally costs A$2.40 per hour, while parking stations in the city can charge up to A$50 per day on weekdays.

Car Hire
A national driving licence printed in English is required for driving in Sydney, although some hire firms prefer an International Driving Permit. The minimum age for hiring a car is often 25 years. Minimum third-party insurance is required. Hire rates for a small car start from approximately A$68 per day.

Major operators include Avis (tel: (02) 9353 9033 or 136 333 (Australia only); website: www.avis.com.au), Budget (tel: (1300) 362 848 or 132 727 (Australia only); website: www.budget.com.au), Hertz (tel: (1800) 550 067 or 133 039 (Australia only); website: www.hertz.com.au) and Thrifty (tel: (1300) 367 277; website: www.thrifty.com.au).

Bicycle Hire
Sydney’s many steep hills do not make for a leisurely ride and there are limited (and often dangerous) designated cycle lanes. Manly has better paths for cycling but best of all is the popular Centennial Park. Hire companies include Woolys Wheels, 82 Oxford Street, Paddington (tel: (02) 9331 2671; website: www.woolyswheels.com), and Inner City Cycles, 151 Glebe Point Road (tel: (02) 9660 6605; website: www.innercitycycles.com.au). Hire rates start from about A$39 for 24 hours.