Perth's Two Fastest Ways to Catch a Bus, Ferry or Train

10/07/2008

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Do you enjoy waving at the morning traffic as your bus flies past on the freeway in its dedicated lane? Do you smile to yourself when you can tag-on with your Smartrider while it's still in your wallet? Does watching the train pass along the freeway from Kings Park make you proud of Perth? Here are the two fastest ways to find your public transport service online.

Google, the multi-billion dollar internet giant has given Perth people the best excuse yet to switch to public transport. In fact, we are only city to have this service in Australia at the moment. Google Transit has mapped out Perth's public transport system on their famous Google Maps tool. This means that if you want to know how to get from Perth City to Cottesloe Beach by 3pm on Saturday, you can put these search criteria in and Google will tell you which bus to catch at what point, how long it will take and what time you should arrive. This has been completely integrated into Transperth's system so the times etc. are accurate. Have a click around by visiting this site.

Let's say you are stranded in the City and when you see a bus stop, you reluctantly consider catching a bus home. However, its been 6 months since you used a bus and let's face it, you don't have a bus timetable in your hip pocket. If you want to know which buses are going to pass the bus stop, you can visit Transperth's nifty little website at www.136213.mobi designed to work well even on your mobile phone. You can check your SmartRider balance. Just enter your Smartrider number in your phone and it will tell you how much you have left to spend. You can even use this website to find out about last minute delays or changes to Transperth services in the News section. We must hand it to Transperth for removing so many objections to using public transport. Now, if only the cost of catching a bus was a little more reasonable..

Reader Comments

Margaret

12/07/2008 at 14:24

I think it is probably quite good for those who have a computer linked to the internet and for those who use their mobile phone for things other than phone calls. I think what would be a better idea is for transperth to get at all bus stops those information sign stand stops that tell you the bus routes that use that stop, where they go to and the approximate time they arrive at your stop. Think of the extra employment created to enable these signs to be made and installed as well, it would then benefit a bigger range of people.

Rachel

31/07/2008 at 14:02

It isn't just the cost that is the problem. If you live in the inner-suburbs that bus flying past you is the one you wanted to catch to work. It just isn't stopping because it is full already. Maybe one day when the community and the government stop treating public transport like a second class option we may get a world class service. While it is great that you can find out where the buses go, isn't it time they actually go somewhere? Imagine - the thought of being able to use public transport from one suburb to a shopping hub in the next - without having to go via the cbd. Mind boggling indeed.