#100 for 2021 This is what happens when government wants to give their citizens a good transportation system. I love catching the trains. I feel very safe and comfortable. They really do lower the stress one can have in your busy day. Instead of worrying about all the drivers around you and where you are going, you can put your thought to be better things that can relax you. Catch up on reading, the news or watch a movie all off your own smart device. The problem with that is what do you do when you get home? I guess I could clean. How dreadfully boring. Before you board get an opal card. It's a card that can be loaded with money and reloaded any time you want to. It's like a debit card to use to board trains, buses and ferry boats. Many vendors or kiosks will have the logo displayed that says you can purchase and refill your cards with them. Conveniently located around the stops so you don't have to travel far. Now that you have your opal card use it to enter the boarding areas for where you want to go. You'll see people trying to buck the system and not pay. You'll also see the several spot checks they do to see who hasn't paid. Quite embarrassing. Don't buck the system and embarrass yourself. Pay up my friend and enjoy the ride. Now it might get a little confusing how to get around, use the opal card or how you board or where you board. There is very few staff around that can help you. And you never see one when you need one. Don't worry. Your typical Aussie is very friendly and helpful. So make a friend and ask for help. It really adds to the experience and boosts your confidence and appreciation of the country and people. On the train if you're in a large group there is a way to flip the seat around so you can face each other and have fantastic exciting conversations with each other. I found this very pleasing because you don't have to talk over your shoulder. What a fun way to travel. They should do this on all transportations including planes. The trains are double deckers. If it's your first time there and you want to check out the vast scenery you may want to take a seat on the upper level. Some times when it's super busy and no seats look available as you board it's best to head up straight to the upper level for seating. And don't be afraid to take a seat with someone in it. There's lots of space to keep your personal space. Well, most of the time anyway. All transports are kept cleaned and maintained. However, I have seen people wipe down their areas before seating. I have seen maintenance crews on board spot cleaning too. On the major and frequent used rails the trains look brand new. As you move away from these busy centers and on the lesser used rails the trains are still good and clean but you don't get that "new" feeling. It's still very good though. Air con is phenomenal. You're not freezing cold but as soon as you step in it's a nice blast of coldness to feel relief from the heat. It helps to really relax. On the days I was traveling alone where the rides were an hour or more I would take a nap. I'd worry about missing my stop. A few times I did. All I did was get off and boarded a train going back. A hassle I know but I enjoyed the nap. They do make announcements of the stops coming up to give you fair warning. I guess I was in a deep dream with koalas and kangaroos. lol Another great feature is how the train stops at all the malls and greater shopping areas. You can get all your daily errands done without traveling too far away from the stops. So there's no need to uber, lyft or rent a car. We didn't. A much cheaper option for sure. Practically almost eliminates the need to own a car too. Think of all the money you can save. All in all it's a great transportation system Australia has and wish we here in the U.S. had one to use. read more

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During my weekend in Sydney, I had been utilizing Public Transport which took me around town and it was an enjoyable experience! Make sure you get your Opal Card which is free and just load it up with $30 or so if you are travelling to and from Airport. Opal Card makes travelling so easy as you can just tap on and off and can be used on trains, buses, light rail and even ferries! For checking your balance, make sure you download the App on your smartphone. Daily/Weekly Travel Cap and the best is on Sunday you can travel the whole day for $2.50!! That's that best time to take a long distance train ride or a ferry ride! I just wish every major International cities would be that public transit friendly like Sydney! read more

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On my brief move to Australia I arrived in Sydney and straight away got my Opal Card. This card allows you to board the light rails, the ferries and the trains. I luv cities with public transportation that is second nature to the locals. Some cities like the one I'm based out of hasn't fully got a system in play where everyone uses it as their primary source of transportation. Most still drive opposed to some cities in the East Coast where it's just the normal everyday way of life. Sydney's is one of the best because it's both land and sea. As I was finding my way around Sydney it was very convenient. As for any expat or tourist their system is easy to follow. It's easy to get an Opal Card. I did not use Uber or rent a car ever. I didn't have to. Moving to Australia I didn't know anyone in any of the cities I was trying to move to and I was met with only kind friendly Aussies willing to help me out if I had questions or looked confused. The trains to my surprise were double decker trains which I thought was cool. It made for a more comfortable ride then what I'm use to in the US. The air-con was a nice welcome as I would enter the trains from walking around all day in that lovely Aussie Sunshine. Then I would tap off a train and tap onto a ferry with no issues. It was fun just to try it all out. I discovered my favorite Sydney restaurant was a short 10 minute walk from the train station. I also discovered some of my best selfies were taken on the Ferries. I didn't experience any delays on any of the public transportations I took either which was nice. Sydney's public transportation is super easy to learn. The departures and arrivals are clearly marked although some of the boards could look daunting with a lot of platforms. Just give it a second and your eyes will adjust and you'll realize that it's straight forward. In the States I always feel like I have to be extra careful while taking public transportation but in Sydney I was relaxed. No one bothered me or looked sketchy. Maybe I just got lucky but my experience was safe, friendly, clean, easy and an affordable way to move about in Sydney. I miss it coz in the San Diego we're paying over $4 a gallon while on a Sunday in Sydney I can cruz all day and night for $2.50. Crikey! Mel M Yelp 19:53 read more

I will be very honest about this buses that come to greenwood plaza, North Sydney. The 602X bus is always late by 5 minutes. It get cancelled very often. For once you plan to go home early, and buses are cancelled and end up standing more than 20 minutes for other bus to come. On the other side 612x comes every 5 minutes... I am certain absurd with the 602x buses. This review has written under experiencing 15 time or more. read more

Public transportation in Sydney means a massive train system that services the touristy and business-y areas and runs continuously from the city to places a hundred miles away, gigantic two-level ferries that cross the harbor, and a fairly extensive bus system as well. The trains are the most notable feature, allowing you to visit the mountains quite easily, and the train cars are an interesting double decker design with large capacity. The card you get to use the system doesn't cost anything (though it will only allow you to add set increments of money to it). There are various daily and weekly spending caps, wherein you stop paying fares after a certain point, notably a very low cap for Sundays to let you go nuts and explore. The worst I could say of it is that some of the train cars didn't have good air conditioning, and if you want to go to the airport there is a ridiculous extra fee you get charged (which there are various ways of circumventing). You can do a lot without a car in Sydney. read more

I had recently visited Sydney with my friends, which was long time dream for me. So i didn't wanted to spoil it in any way and i used limoscanner to find best limo possible (this stuff is reliable as it turned out) :D And Public transport was this best! They took us around town and showed us all the best places, even gave few recommendations on do and dont for which i'm really grateful. We also noticed very low cap for Sunday (which was great after limo :D) so we explored even more then we planned. We had great experience and i'd recommend it to everyone who want to go crazy on their vacation ;) read more