Transperth Bus Service, Perth

Both of Perth’s central bus stations, as well as the local train stations one stop on either side of the main train station, are within the Free Transit Zone, or FTZ. Most buses passing through the FTZ offer free travel within it, as do the snazzy “CAT” (Central Area Transit) buses serving the city centre.

You can board the buses at special CAT stops to take you along two circular CAT routes; press a button and a voice tells you when the next bus is due. The Blue CAT runs north–south from Barrack Street jetty up to Aberdeen Street and then down William Street back to the river, while the Red CAT runs east–west along George Terrace and back along Wellington Street.

Both routes run from Monday to Thursday 7am–6pm, Friday 7am–1am, Saturday 8.30am–1am and Sunday 10am–5pm, with intervals of ten minutes at the most. Timetables are available from Transperth offices.

Transperth is the local bus/train company avaliable to everyone in the Perth region. Each time that I have used it, I have found it to be very reliable and very efficent.

A fare with TRANSPERTH is determined by a zone. Each zone covers a certain area within a particular radias. For example Zone one will cover areas which are within 10 kilometres of the Central Business district, once a person goes over that zone they must pay extra. If you are in doubt, tell your driver your destination and he or she will be able to advise you how many zones you will be covering and how much this will cost you. If you are on a train look at the board outside the waiting area while waiting for the train to arrive. You can also ask someone and most Perth people are more than happy to help you. A TRANSPERTH bus runs usually every eight to ten minutes and a train approximately every fifteen minutes.

Buying a fare entitles you up to three hours of travelling time, hang on to your ticket as you can use it again. When you are travelling in the heart of the city of Perth, there is no charge for travelling around. These buses are known as Free Transit Zone buses, there are also other smaller buses seen around the city which are known as Central Area Transit buses or CAT for short. These run every five minutes.

A Great idea is to purchase a Multi user ticket which is known as a multirider. This ticket allows the traveller to take as many trips on a bus/train/boat. These cost $50.00 (AUD)

If you want to visit Margaret River for a few days and do not want to drive, then South West Coaches by Veolia Transport provide a daily bus service from Perth.

Buses leave from the Perth Esplanade Bus Port and you can check prices and book on the web link below.

Transperth bus routes cover the whole city and run into all suburbs. These buses are green and silver. Tickets can be obtained from the driver.

Check the timetables at the bus stops or on the Transperth website in advance. Bus travel in regular intervals is unknown.

Using the buses requires the talents of a scout unless you know perfectly well where you are going. The bus stops do not have names, just numbers. There is no plan of the line on board the bus and no announcement. You have to find out the number of your destination stop.
Conclusion: ask the driver or other passengers to tell you when and where to get off.

There are a few ways to get around the city for free:

1. Walking - the city is not huge plus you get great exercise
2. CAT buses - these buses have regular stops through the city. There are 3 different buses, yellow, blue and red, depending on where you want to go.
3. Free Transit Zone - most areas of the Perth city are within the Free Transit Zone which means you can get on any bus at all and travel around the city for free. Great for getting from one end of the terrace to the other. This Free Transit zone also works on the train between City West and Claisebrook.

See the website below for further details.

The Perth buses are usually painted green. Buses run from 6am to 11.30pm during the week with reduced services on weekends, and public holidays.
The bus services travel throughout all the main suburbs.

Perth is broken down into 8 zones and tickets are calculated on the total distance you intend to travel.

Tickets covering 1 - 4 zones and 5 - 8 zones are valid for 2 hours.
You may travel on as many Transperth services as you like within this 2 hours. 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. Please remember the ticket machines only accept coins and do give back change.
You can also look at the smart rider cards (multirider) cards. It works on a prepaid basis. You buy your card for $10 and can load as much $ as you like on the card. You get discounted rates by using this card. This multirider is also valid on Transperth busses, trains and ferries.

Most Buses communte to The Bus Port in the CDB from such places as Fremantle & Garden City. The Bus Port has a Transperth Information Centre and various food places. Right next door is the Perth Convention Centre and its grounds - a must to see.

St. Georges Terrace is a 5 minute walk. The City mall is a 10 minute walk. The Bell Tower Area is a 10 minute walk.

I find the Busport a lot more civalised then the city train station.

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TransPerth runs numerous buses servicing both Fremantle and Perth, to and from suburbs, surrounding towns, beaches and the Domestic Terminal of Perth Airport. There are many different lines and it is impossible to mention all the schedules, fares and possibilities of this great bus service.

We used the bus a couple of times: to/from Perth City (the Esplanade Bus Station) and to/from Fremantle. We paid for a so called “2 zone ticket” to Perth AUD 3,10 per person, which allowed us to use all buses in these two zones for 2 hours.

CAT buses
CAT (Central Area Transit) services in Fremantle and Perth are free. They can be very easy to reach touristy sights or the city centre of Fremantle when having accommodation outside the centre.
Perth has three circle lines and Fremantle (being much smaller) just one.

Transperth has introduced it's NightRider Service, which is a brand new late night bus service running from Fremantle to either Como via Canning Hwy (route 697), Rossmoyne via Leach Highway (route 698) or Bullcreek via South Street (route 699). The NightRiders will stop anywhere along the designated bus routes provided it is safe.

The bus services leave Fremantle Train Station, then Fremantle Markets, South Tce every hour on Saturday night from 12:30am until 4:30am and offer an efficient, economical and reliable way of getting home for a flat fare of $5 (no concessions or passes).

Departures From Departure Time
Buses pick up at Fremantle Train Station, then Fremantle Markets, South Tce 12:30am
1:30am
2:30am
3:30am
4:30am

Each NightRider bus has two security guards and closed circuit security cameras on board.

"Although it's as cool as the Hoff's NightRider, the Transperth NightRider is not a party bus.

There are some simple rules for getting on that must be observed by all passengers.

Be nice - You’re not the only person catching this bus, so be nice and show some respect to your driver and fellow passengers.

No eating or drinking - That means no half-drunk cans of beer, take-away cups of coffee or half eaten kebabs. You’ll be asked to dispose of any food or drink before boarding.

No smoking - It’s been a rule on public transport forever. This bus is no exception.

No dancing in the aisles - Especially the Macarena and Birdy Dance. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve had to drink, there’s just no excuse."

Perth's primary bus service, Transperth, covers a wide territory in and around Perth. Using Transperth you can travel as far north as Yanchep, go southward to Mandurah, head east into the Darling Range, or reach some of Perth's most spectacular beaches on the western coastline.