I am staying in Perth for a few months and therefore do not want to buy a car. To hire a car would work out very expensive so I have decided to rely on the public transportation of Perth. Here are my tips on how to get round the city with no car.
1) Don’t give up
I have been met with a lot of surprise and shock when I told people I did not have a car and had no intention of getting one while I am here. People have gone on about how rubbish the transportation system is here and I admit having lived in Paris and London, it is a little behind the time. But…. there is still a good rail network and bus service, you might just have to go a bit out of your way to use it.
2) Take the train as far as you can
Perth has grown extremely fast over the past few years due to in part the mining boom and therefore there are not as many rail routes as there are neighbourhoods. But you can still take the train from Perth to the beach, along the Fremantle line. It takes 35 minutes from Perth station to the end of that line, stopping by Cottesloe beach along the way. There are beaches such as City Beach, Scarborough and Sorrento where there is no train. In these instances, take the train as far as you can and bike the rest of the way, it is great exercise.
3) Take the free Cat bus
The Cat bus within Perth is free, so instead of driving, jump on the Cat bus. There are three routes inside Perth.
– The Red Cat travels in an East-West loop from Queens Gardens in East Perth to Outram St in West Perth.
– The Blue CAT travels in a North-South loop from the Barrack St Jetty to Northbridge.
– The Yellow CAT operates in a loop from East Perth to West Perth.
The times vary, but they start from 6:00am and finish at 7:30pm during the week. There are also two Cat bus services in Fremantle.
4) Love your bike
I have fallen in love again, this time with my bike. Well I am actually borrowing it during my stay here, but no one else is using it so I have sole use of it. In London, I stopped riding as it was too dangerous on the roads. I have started again as I have no car and it is much quicker than travelling by foot. Also there is hardly traffic here and the roads are much wider so I feel at east cycling on the road. There are some cycle paths and I am sure I will find more while I am exploring. Cycling also helps keep you fit and I have lost some weight since I have been here by avoiding driving everywhere.
Next time you are in Perth, you might not need to rent a car and you could rely on public transport and the good old fashioned bike as well.
