Public transportation
Sydney’s public transport system (buses, trains and ferries) is well developed, efficient and inexpensive. Information about routes, plans and prices for all means of transport can be obtained by telephone from the State Transit info line (Tel: 13 15 00, only in Australia . Internet: www.sydneybuses.nsw.gov.au), which includes bus and ferry transport operates.
Bus tickets can be bought from the bus driver. The Sydney Explorer day ticket, the 2 day ticket and the 3/5/7 day pass are available. There are countless ferries available to commuters that cover the entire Sydney harbor area and also offer tourists the best way to explore the harbor. The ferries (Internet: www.sydneyferries.info/) commute between Circular Quay and almost 30 destinations (Tel: 06 00 23 30).
Information about tickets and harbor tours is available online at www.sydneypass.info. The day tripper ticket entitles you to use the train, bus and ferry in one day.
The yellow water taxis (Tel: (02) 92 99 01 99. Internet: www.yellowwatertaxis.com.au) leave the port every 15 minutes, the cost depends on the distance and the number of passengers. They stop on request. CityRail (Tel: (02) 82 02 20 00. Internet: www.cityrail.nsw.gov.au) operates a rail network, which mainly consists of express trains that connect the city center with the suburbs. For tourists who want to explore the city center, the stops are not very cheap. The express trains usually run between 4.30am and midnight.
Night buses (Infoline: 131 500) run between midnight and 4.30 a.m. Travel costs depend on the route.
Sydney Metro (Tel: (02) 92 85 56 00. Internet: www.metrolightrail.com.au) operates the subway (Light Rail) and the monorail (Monorail). The monorail runs every 3 to 5 minutes between downtown, Darling Harbor and Chinatown. The subway commutes every hour between Central Station and Lilyfield. The Supervoucher Pass entitles you to use both railways and includes discounts at museums and attractions.
There are numerous discounted day and week tickets, including the SydneyPass (valid for three or five days or a week), which allows unlimited public buses, harbor ferries, the Airport Express, the Sydney Explorer Bus and the Bondi & Bay Explorer buses can use. You can also take part in the three sightseeing tours offered by the State Transit Authority. The SydneyPass can be purchased at Kingsford Smith Airport in the New South Wales Travel Center and at the Sydney Visitor Center. With the color-coded TravelPass you can use the public transport within a certain area. This ticket is available for a week or longer. As a blue weekly ticket, it is valid for buses and ferries. The FerryTen is a ticket for ten people for the ferry.
All the tickets mentioned can be bought at the train and bus stations and at the kiosks that are found along the bus routes.
Taxis
There are taxi ranks at most train and bus stations as well as at the larger hotels. A kilometer price is added to the basic fee. The night surcharge is 20%. In addition to the travel costs, there are surcharges for luggage, telephone orders, the use of the harbor bridge and some areas of the ‘Eastern Distributor’ distribution tunnel, which are subject to tolls. A tip is not expected, however the travel costs will be i. General rounded up to the nearest dollar.
Taxi companies include:
Legion Cabs (tel: 13 14 51 only in Australia),
Taxis Combined Services (tel: (02) 83 32 88 88) and
Premier Cabs (tel: 13 10 17, only in Australia).
Driving in the city
The construction of a new road network for the 2000 Olympic Games has significantly improved many routes, and the new distribution tunnel in the east of the city has made traveling to the airport much easier. However, drivers in Sydney are known for their fast, reckless driving, and parking spaces are still difficult to find and / or expensive. More information about parking online at www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au .
Restricted parking is clearly signposted and limits the parking time allowed on parking meters on weekdays. General on an hour or two. There are zones that need to be kept clear at certain times of the day, and vehicles parked there are towed away at a charge. It is advisable to park your car in one of the parking spaces outside the city center and use public transport from there.
Car rental
Although a foreign driver’s license is sufficient for driving in Sydney, some rental car companies prefer an international driver’s license. Liability insurance is required.
Common rental car companies include:
Avis (tel: (61) 02 83 74 28 47 (airport) or 13 63 33, only in Australia. Internet: www.avis.com.au);
Budget (tel: (02) 920 79 160 (airport), only in Australia or 1300 362 848 (outside of Australia). Internet: www.budget.com.au);
Hertz (Tel: (01800) 550 067 or 13 30 39, (Australia only). Internet: www.hertz.com.au) and
Thrifty (Tel: (02) 95 82 17 22 (Airport) or (1300) 36 72 27. Internet: www.thrifty.com.au).
Bicycle rental
Biking is quite tedious because of the many steep hills in the city, and there are few marked bike paths that are often quite dangerous. There are better bike paths in Manly, but the most popular is the popular Centennial Park.
The main bike rental companies include:
Bicycles-in-the-City, 722 George Street (Tel: (02) 92 80 22 29);
Centennial Park Cycles, 50 Clovelly Rd., Randwick (Tel: (02) 93 98 50 27),
Woolys Wheels, 82 Oxford Street, Paddington (Tel: (02) 93 31 26 71. Internet: www.woolyswheels.com) and
Inner City Cycles, 151 Glebe Point Road (Tel: (02) 96 60 66 05).