Perth Getting there & around

Getting around

Public transport

Perth’s central public transport organisation, Transperth (13 62 13; www.transperth.wa.gov.au), operates buses, trains and ferries. There are Transperth information offices at the Perth train station in Wellington St and at the Esplanade Busport on Mounts Bay Rd, by the new convention centre.

There’s a free transit zone for all buses and trains within the city. Look for the ‘FTZ’ sign. On regular Transperth buses and trains, a short ride of one zone costs $2.10, two zones $3.20 and three zones $4. Zone 1 includes the city centre and the inner suburbs, and zone 2 extends to Fremantle, Sorrento and Midland. The DayRider pass ($7.70) is good value, giving you unlimited travel after 9am weekdays and all day on the weekend.

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Bus & tram

Bus

For travellers, the free Central Area Transit (CAT) services in the city centre are fantastic. There are computer readouts (and audio) at the stops telling you when the next bus is due. Using the CAT, you can get to most sights in the inner city. Pick up a CAT map at the Perth train station.

The red CAT operates east–west from Outram St, West Perth, to the WACA in East Perth. It runs every five minutes from 6.50am to 6.20pm weekdays. It also operates every 25 minutes from 10am to 6.15pm on weekends.

The blue CAT operates north–south from the river to Northbridge. Services run every seven minutes from 6.50am to 6.20pm weekdays, and on Friday evenings every 15 minutes from 6.20pm to 1am. On weekends, there’s a bus every 15 minutes from 8.30am to 1am on Saturday and from 10am to 6.15pm on Sunday.

The yellow CAT runs from East Perth up Wellington St to West Perth every 10 minutes from 6.50am to 6.20pm weekdays, and every 30 minutes from 10am to 6.15pm on weekends.

A wide network of Transperth buses also services the metropolitan area. See the information office at Perth train station for timetables and advice or use the ‘journey planner’ on its website (www.transperth.wa.gov.au).

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Car & motorcycle

All the major car rental companies – Avis (13 63 33; 46 Hill St, Perth), Budget (13 27 27; 960 Hay St, Perth), Hertz (13 30 39; 39 Milligan St, Perth) and Thrifty (1300 367 227, 13 61 39 within WA; 198 Adelaide Tce) – are in Perth. Some local operators – like Bayswater Hire Car (9325 1000; 160 Adelaide Tce) – can be cheaper, but make sure you read the fine print. Note that some insurance policies, even with the bigger companies, don’t cover you outside the metropolitan area after dark – in case you hit a roo.

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Train

Transperth also operates suburban train lines to Armadale, Fremantle, Midland, Thornlie and the northern suburb of Clarkson (Joondalup) from around 5.20am to midnight weekdays. Trains run until about 2am on Saturday and Sunday. The line to Mandurah via Rockingham should be operational by mid-2007.

All trains leave from Perth station on Wellington St. Your rail ticket can also be used on Transperth buses and ferries within the ticket’s area of validity; the free transit zone extends to Claisebrook and City West stations. You’re also free to take your bike on the train in nonpeak times.

During the day, some of the Fremantle trains run through to Midland.

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Local transport

Taxi

Perth has a decent system of metered taxi cabs, though the distances in Perth make frequent use costly, and on busy nights you may have trouble flagging one down off the street. There are ranks throughout the city and in Fremantle. The two main companies are Swan Taxis (13 13 30; 9422 2240) and Black & White (13 10 08; 9333 3377); both have wheelchair access.

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Water

Ferry

A popular way of getting to the zoo, Transperth ferries cross the river from the Barrack St jetty in the city to the Mends St jetty in South Perth. Services run every 20 to 30 minutes from 6.50am to 7.24pm weekdays, and from around 8.10am to 9.15pm on weekends.

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