Public transport in Perth is modern, reliable, comfortable and relatively cheap. Within the city, all generally accessible transport options are provided by TransPerth and in the vicinity by TransWA and TransRegional. In general, buses and trains run during the week until midnight at the latest. At the weekend, some of the public transports operate until 3 a.m. Night owls have to be content with a taxi in the early morning hours. The footpaths and bike paths have also been very well developed so that visitors and residents feel encouraged to exercise more extensively.
General information
There are 9 public transport zones in Perth that run in a circle around the center of the city . The fare therefore depends on the number of zones in which you want to move. Before using the buses, trains and ferries, you can choose between one of the following tickets : the normal ticket, the electronic SmartRider ticket, the 2-section ticket, the day ticket or the family ticket. With the exception of the SmartRider ticket, all tickets are available from the bus driver or from one of the ticket machines in the larger stations. The SmartRider ticket, on the other hand, can be obtained in one of the Transperth offices, for example or in various newsagents. A normal ticket entitles you to use all public transport in the specified zone for two hours when traveling in 1 to 4 zones and for three hours when traveling in 5 to 9 zones. With the 2-Sections Ticket, on the other hand, you can only cover short distances in one direction without changing trains. The day and family tickets are each valid for one day until the end of operations. The electronic SmartRider ticket can be purchased for a very small fee and can be topped up with the specified minimum amount or a higher amount. Before starting the journey, you validate your ticket and after arrival you validate it so that the fare is automatically deducted from the credit on the card.
In addition, the Free Transit Zone (FTZ) was set up throughout the city center . Here public transport with any buses and trains does not cost a single cent. The stops located in the Free Transit Zone have been marked with the letters FTZ. If you are traveling by train, the FTZ borders of the Fremantle Line are at the City West station and the Midland Line or Armadale Line at Claisebrook station.
Overview of public transport
Train
A total of 6 train lines connect the city center of the capital of Western Australia with the suburbs and the surrounding area. The 16km long Midland Line (from Perth Station to Midland Station in the northeast), the 30km long Armadale Line (from Perth Station to Armadale in the southeast), the Thornlie Line (from Beckenham to Kenwick), the 70km long Mandurah Line (from Perth Underground to Mandurah in the south), the 22km long Fremantle Line (from Perth Station to South Beach in Fremantle in the southwest) and the 41km long Joondalup Line (from Esplanade / Perth Underground to Butler in the northwest).
Bus
The main bus stations are Esplanade Bus Station in the southern CBD and Wellington Street Bus Station in the western center, from which there are also train connections. The buses generally run every 15 to 60 minutes, although there are fewer buses, especially on weekends, but they usually operate a little longer. The timetables and the individual buses are marked with colors, with green for the north, red for the east, yellow for the south-east, orange for the south and blue for the west. In addition, the CAT buses in Joondalup and Perth are gray, the CAT buses in Fremantle are orange, the CircleRoute buses are aquamarine and the Rockingham City Shuttle is orange and has a dolphin.
In and around the CBD there are three free bus routes called CAT (Central Area District) available 7 days a week. The blue CAT buses make a north-south tour from Barrack St Jetty to Northbridge, the red CAT buses run in an east-west curve from Queens Gardens in the east to Outram St in the west and the yellow CAT buses shuttle between the east and West Perth back and forth. The stops of the CAT buses are clearly marked and show exactly in how many minutes the next bus will arrive. The CAT service also connects the city center with the tourist spots in Fremantle and the CBD with various educational institutions in Joondalup. The Fremantle Nightrider also operates Saturday nights between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. within Freo. CircleRoute is the name of various bus routes,Connect universities , TAFE s, schools and shopping centers.
Ferry
In the city center, ferries leave from Barrack Street Jetty on the banks of the Swan River. The normal ferry boats sail on the Swan River to South Perth (Mends Street), Fremantle and the Swan Valley . Certain high-speed ferries also connect Perth, Fremantle and Hillarys to Rottnest Island .
Taxi
In total, there are over 1,000 taxis in the metropolis that operate 24 hours a day. There are several taxi ranks, especially in the city center, which in Northbridge are even monitored on Friday and Saturday evenings for security reasons. Likewise, the quickly recognizable taxis can be stopped at the roadside or ordered by phone within the greater metropolitan area. The two largest taxi companies are Swan Taxis (13 13 30) and Black & White Taxis (13 10 08).
Bike & on foot
Thanks to the generously laid out bicycle and pedestrian paths in the fairly flat city center, you can get from A to B very quickly. On the banks of the Swan River, a circular path has also been laid out that is popular with cyclists and walkers. Brochures about the most popular cycle routes are available in most cycle shops and in the individual tourist information offices.
