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Perth uses a variety of transport
methods, including cars, buses, trains, ferries, taxis, bicycles, limos and walking.
There are two main freeways that meet in the city and they
join the northern and southern suburbs. The freeways are called
the Kwinana freeway which runs south of the city, and the Mitchell
freeway which runs north of the city.
Perth has a modern public transport
system that combines the use of trains, buses,
ferries and
CATS, to reach from one end of the city to the
other. Transperth manage all of the public
facilities which means that all of the trains,
buses, ferries and CATS timetables and tickets
compliment
each other. Within the central city area is a free
transit zone which allows commuters to travel
on either buses or trains for free. See the transperth map of
the free transit zone. The transit free zone is
provided every day of the week and stretches from
Kings Park
to the Causeway, and Northbridge to the Swan river.
In Australia cars
drive on the left hand side of the road. Road rules may vary
from state to state within Australia.
A free booklet on the road rules within Western
Australiais available from the Western Australian
Police Department. To obtain a copy of the "Drive Safe" booklet,
call the West Australian Police department on (08) 9227 6727.
The city has a very efficient highway system that links the
city to the major roads servicing the coastal and hills areas
surrounding Perth. City speed limits tend to be 60kph
and limits are posted on all the roads. Western
Australiauses speed cameras to catch offenders
both in the city and country regions. The wearing of seat belts
is compulsory where they are fitted.
Western Australiahas
very strict laws about drink driving. The legal blood alcohol
limit is 0.05%, with automatic loss of license for blood alcohol
levels over 0.08%. Remember not to drink and drive!
Buses:
Perth has two bus terminals
in the city. The Wellington streetbus
station is approximately 200m from the train
station and services the northern suburbs. The City Busport
is at the bottom of Mill streeton Mounts Bay road next to the
Esplanade and services the southern suburbs. Both terminals
have easy to follow information about times and routes as well
as friendly staff to answer your questions. Call Transperth
on 13 22 13 with any questions or visit the Transperth
web site.
The Perth
buses are easy to recoginze as they are usually painted green.
Some buses may have advertising covering the whole bus. The CATS are a silver colour and provide free transport within the FTZ..
Busessrun from 6am to 11.30pm during the week with reduced services
on the weekend, and public holidays. For information about
special bus services call Transperth on 13 22 13 with any questions
or visit the Transperth
web site. The bus services travel throughout all the major
suburbs and train stations. Some bus routes may terminate at
the large train stations where you will need to catch a train
to the city centre.
Perth is
broken down into 8 zones and tickets are calculated on the
total distance you intend to travel. Tickets covering 1 and
4 zones are valid for 90 minutes. You may travel on as many
Transperth services as you like within this 90 minutes. Tickets
covering 5 and 8 zones are valid for 2 hours and you may also
travel on as many Transperth services as you like. After the
time period has expired a new ticket must be purchased.
Tickets can be purchased
on the platforms at the bus stations, or from the bus drivers
as you board the bus. The ticket machines only accept coins
and do dispense change. An alternative to purchasing a ticket
on each journey is to purchase a multirider which is a number
of prepaid tickets at a discounted rate. The multiriders can
be purchased from newsagents, and must be validated as you
board the bus. The multiriders can also be used on the Trains and Ferries.
Late Night Buses
Late Night buses leave at Midnight, 1.00am and 2.00am every
Friday and Saturday night from Wellington Street Bus Station going to Mirrabooka
and Morley. After dark the buses will stop anywhere.
Circle Route
The Circle Route is a new bus service operated by Transperth.
The buses operate between the Fremantle train station and Oats
streettrain station in East Victoria Park. Call
Transperth on 13 22 13 with any questions or visit the Transperth
web site for more details. If you would like to have a
look at a map of the circle route then click here.
Country / Interstate
Buses
Perth has a number of buses which travel
both interstate and to the country.
Greyhound Pioneer Australia
Phone 13 20 30
http://www.greyhound.com.au/
Westrail
Phone 13 22 32
http://www.westrail.wa.gov.au/
CATS:
The CAT bus stops are clearly
marked through out the FTZ and have an audio announcement telling
you when the next CAT is due. Supplementing the CAT service
is the normal Transperth buses, and the Fasttrack trains which
also offer free travel within the FTZ.
Red CAT
The red CAT travels in a east west direction from East Perth to West Perth
from Monday to Friday 7am till 6pm every 5 minutes. To view a map of the red
route click here
Blue CAT
The blue CAT runs in a north south direction from Barrack Street Jetty to Northbridge,
from Monday to Friday 7am till 6pmevery 7 minutes. To view a map of the blue
route click here
Weekend CAT
The weekend CAT has a modified blue CAT route. This service runs from Friday 6pmtill 1am every 10 minutes, Saturday 8.30am till 1am every
10 minutes and Sunday 10am till 5pmevery 10 minutes. To view a map of the weekend
route click here. For more information about the CAT service visit
the Transperth web site http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au or
call the Transperth infoline on 13 22 13 for routes and timetables.
Free Transit Zone ( FTZ )
Within the Perth city centre travel on public transport is free. The boundaries
of this free travel zone are defined at the Transperth web
site. To travel within this zone you can simply hop on any train, bus or
CAT. You are not restricted to the amount of times you can use this service
and no tickets are required. The FTZ includes City West and Claisebrook on
the Fremantle, Midland and Armadale train lines, the start and
finish of the FTZ are clearly marked, on the train stations and bus stops.
If you board a train or bus inside the FTZ and intend to travel outside of
the FTZ a valid ticket must be purchased and fares apply from where you first
board to your destination. If you're not sure where the FTZ starts or ends
ask the bus driver.
Ferries:
The main ferry terminal in Perth
is at Barrack Street Jetty. The jetty services ferry to and
from Fremantle, Rottnest,
South Perth, and perform wine and river cruises. The jetty
is a five minute walk from St George's Terrace, or
a short bus ride on a CAT.
Other ferry terminals are located at East Fremantle, North
Fremantle, and Hillarys boat harbour. Transperth operate a ferry service
between Barrack streetjetty and Mends streetin
South Perth. The ferry is a quick ride across the Swan River,
and a great way to travel to the Perth
Zoo. South Perth also has plenty of great restaurants and cafes where
you enjoy the atmosphere or be amazed at the view of the city.
Ferries to and from
Rottnest leave from Barrack Street Jetty in Perth,
East Street Jetty East Fremantle, Northport Rous Head North
Fremantle, and Hillarys boat harbour Hillarys.To find out where
your ferry is leaving from and returning to, check with the
ferry operators. A bus service is operated by some of the ferry
companies.
Trains:
Perth Central suburban train
station is located on Wellington street. The station is across
the road from Forrest
Place and is accessible via an overhead walkway that joins
to Forrest Chase. A walkway also joins the train station to
the Perth Art Gallery, Museum and Northbridge. The Wellington
Streetbus station which is approximately 200m
down the road from the train station is also linked via a walkway.
All suburban trains
leave or pass through the Perth central train station. Perth
has four main train lines travelling to, Fremantle, Midland, Armadale and Joondalup.
The suburban trains are called "Fasttrack", they
are electric, quiet, clean, fast (top speed of 110kph) safe
and run on a regular basis. The train services start at 5.30am
and stops at 11.30pm weekdays.
The trains have a reduced service on the weekends, and public
holidays, but special late night trains are available on the
weekends. See the Tranperth web
site for timetables, or call the transperth timetable number
on 13 22 13
Travel between the
City West and Mciver stations is free in the city because it
is within the Free
Transit Zone ( FTZ ). All travel outside of the FTZ requires
a valid ticket. The price of a ticket is determined by the
distance you are travelling, and the fare type. The city is
divided into zones and each zone has a fare for travelling
within that zone. Tickets can be purchased on the platforms
or throughout the stations. The ticket machines only accept
coins and do dispense change. An alternative to purchasing
a ticket on each journey is to purchase a multirider which
is a number of prepaid tickets at a discounted rate. The multiriders
can be purchased from newsagents, and must be validated prior
to travel on any of the trains. The multiriders can also be
used on the Buses and Ferries. Warning
the trains often have inspectors checking for valid tickets
so don't run the risk of having to pay a fine.
Trams:
An alternative to the normal
public transport offered in Perth is the Trams.
The replicas of the 1899 trams that once serviced Perth
are a great way to see the city and local tourist attractions.
The trams travel through Perth City, Fremantle, KingsPark
and to the Burswood Casino. The tours can last up
to 90 minutes and have a full commentary informing the passenger
of shopping areas, historic buildings and general places of
interest. If at any point during the tours you want to stop
and have a look at an attraction in more detail you can join
a tram at a later time on the route. The tram stops are clearly
marked and can be found through out the city or at the Barrack
streetjetty.
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