Touring the Sydney Region – Car or Public Transport?

If you’re planning on touring the Greater Sydney area you have two options – the flexibility of car hire or the more environmentally friendly public transport. Which do you choose? Hopefully this article will help you decide.

Public Transport

One benefit of using bus or rail is the lower cost per mile compared with the car. In addition there are no parking charges to worry about. You can also avail of great saving promotional offers, travel cheaper during off peak times and avail of student discount cards and senior citizens rates where applicable.

CityRail is Sydney’s train operator and is a very popular means of transport in Australia. You can choose from a wide variety of tickets; single/one-way, return and weekly tickets are available. These can be purchased at any CityRail station at the ticket office, or at a ticket vending machine.

The railway network spans from Bondi Junction as far as the Blue Mountains. The inner city trains run every few minutes and the outer city trains operate every 30 minutes or so.

Monorail operates a service linking Sydney city with Darling Harbour. You can visit many of Sydney’s tourist attractions, passing above Chinatown, George Street (Sydney’s main street), The Spanish Quarter along the way. The Monorail runs every 3-5 minutes.

You can avail of a Supervoucher day pass that offers unlimited travel and discounts at some of Sydney’s best attractions, restaurants and museums worth more than $100. Tickets can be purchased at any Monorail station or at Sydney Visitor Centre. 

Light Rail is Sydney’s most desirable commuter means of transport. Sydney’s Chinatown, the fish markets and Darling Harbour are just some of the attractions along the route.

The Light Rail is located at the hub of Central Station as well as many of Sydney’s Inner Western Suburbs. Tickets can be purchased at the Light Rail stations from the ticket desk and at vending machines clearly signposted. 

Sydney Bus recently launched a new Route 10 Metrobus. This Metrobus makes all kinds of popular destinations easily accessible, visiting locations such as Chinatown, the shopping districts at Broadway, George’s Street, Paddy’s Markets the Entertainment Quarter as well as the major sporting venues at Randwick Racecourse and Moore Park.

The Metrobus operates every 10 minutes at peak times and every 15 minutes during off peak times. You can avail of TravelTen tickets which will save you 20% on a single fare, and TravelPasses offers unlimited rides.

Find out more about Sydney Public Transport.

Car Hire

If you’re considering car hire it also has a number of benefits. There is nothing like feeling the freedom, flexibility and independence of travel when you hire a car. You can travel where you want, when you want! 

When hiring a car the cost varies depending on a range of factors such as: the type of vehicle you choose, duration of car hire period, booking in advance as opposed to last minute, insurance excess etc., but most car rental companies offer great deals so be sure to shop around and ensure you know exactly what’s included and what’s not.

Hiring a car has so many advantages than availing of public transport, a hired car can work out cheaper than using other forms of transport, especially when the cost is shared. You’re not tied to a timetable and there is no waiting around for a connecting bus or train. 

Travelling with children can be very challenging and a car gives you a lot more freedom. You can stop as often as you wish and you have the peace of mind that your children are sitting in a child car seat, which you won’t find on public transport! 

You can choose your own music and relax as you wish. And if you’ve just spotted a perfect photo opportunity you can just stop.

If you’ve decided that car hire is the way to go take a look at our car rental Sydney page.

The choice is yours but whatever you choose you must get out and explore the Sydney region and its wonderful surroundings. 

Tell us about your experience in the Sydney region, did you avail of public transport or did you hire a car? If you have any comments or suggestions please let us know.