Student report by Jessica M. – Getting around Sydney cheaply
Sydney is an extensive city and sometimes it can take ages to get from A to B. Luckily, the city also offers a pretty good and reliable public transport system. It includes busses, light rail, ferries, etc. And that might seem a little confusing for now, so let me give you some idea of how to use all of that easily and cheaply.
What is the Opal Card
Typical bus stop around Manly
The Opal Card is technically your key to all of this world. By now, you can also just use your credit card to tap as you go, but some features, including caps and discounts, may only work with the Opal Card. Opal Cards come in different variations for concession groups, but for international students, the usual adult card with the normal prices is (unfortunately) the only option.
All it is, is basically a credit card-sized plastic card that replaces all your tickets by simply topping it up with money at one of the machines at every station and tapping on and off every public transport service you’re using on the orange-signed sensors. It also works for train rides and in New Zealand, in case that should be on your travel list.
From ICMS to the city centre
In order to get from the ICMS campus in Manly to the city centre of Sydney (stop is called Circular Quay), you’ll have the option to take several busses, which takes ages, or hop on a ferry that runs every 20 minutes and you’ll be there in no time. On this service you’ll actually always pay the same fare (currently $7,70 for a one-way ride). A great way to save some money here is the weekend: On Saturdays and Sundays the daily cap of how much you can spend on public transport within one day lies at $8. You will, however, have to use the same card for all your rides on that day.
How to save even more
Another handy function of the Opal Card is the transit. The card recognises two consecutive rides as one journey and you will then only pay for the first part of it. For example, if you went from Manly to Bondi Beach, you would pay for the ferry ride to Circular Quay, but not for the bus to Bondi, which is your final destination.
Bus at Manly Wharf
The busses around Sydney run in the centre as well as the suburbs. The light rails mostly cover the city centre, obviously giving you faster connections than the busses, but also less flexibility in the places you can get to.
There are also trains (and one metro line, but that’s basically the same) running through the city and suburbs, all the way down to the airport. Getting to and from the airport is more expensive since an access fee is charged on top of the fare.
Of course there are also alternative options like Uber, lime bikes or electric scooters to rent, but mostly you’ll be good with just the “classic” public transport options. All the public transport options are very reliable and usually on time. Prices could of course be cheaper, but it is still the best way to see and experience a lot of Sydney while getting from one place to another as quickly as possible.
