What I like & dislike about Sydney's public transport

From reversible train seats to a consistent design language, let’s talk about Sydney’s public transport. Is it good? Yes, with one big exception.

00:00 Intro
00:27 Visual identity
01:55 Trains
04:42 Buses
05:54 Metro
06:39 Light rail
07:20 Ferries
08:09 Fares
08:59 Conclusion
10:08 Outro

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LET'S CHAT ON DISCORD:

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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STATISTICS:
This is my 205th YouTube video of all-time and the 2nd video in 2023.

[olly]

Sydney has a free tram zone if you don’t get caught.

[CanIGetAhhh]

No apology necessary about the buses, they are definitely the weakest link as you put it

[peterhodge]

I am a Sydney Bus Driver and we do have next stop announcement on some of our newest buses and are trialling a few other different systems amongst the different operators.

My Company’s system also includes a display

[martinwallace]

As a Sydneysider, I would say you are spot on. By the way, "reversible seats" have been a feature of Sydney trains since ... forever. At least since WW II, but probably since electric suburban trains of the 1920s, I think.

[rodrrico]

Interesting view from someone who didn't 'grow up' with our systems. The main problem is that the slightest change in weather and the network grinds to a halt. It's often in the rain that the trains start to have serious problems. The buses never really work, but that's more due to the spaghetti roads of Sydney.

[neoplantian]

The ferry ride to Manly is just something else. A dream commute to work.

[smithydll]

The reason the platform displays have to show every station is because services change depending on the time of the day, even taking different route in the case of the East Hills line (which normally goes via the Airport, but can also go via Sydenham at certain times of the day). It then lets them do things like communicating modified services when the network fails and they want to skip stations. These skipped stations are immediately obvious before boarding the wrong train.

[thechineserussian]

One critique. The bus services aren't strictly for getting people to the station, it's for the convenience of people to get around their suburb. Yes it takes longer to get to the station but that's because the buses will make regular stops along streets to pick up and drop off passengers which is important if you want to get to the shops from your house and back. Like you said, Sydney is filled with car centric suburbs and the buses allow people who normally wouldn't be able to drive like the elderly or younger people to get around without a car.

As a visitor without a car, yeah it sucks but as a permanent resident who doesn't have a car, the buses do the job.

[BuildingBeautifully]

Great critique of our system's strengths and flaws! You pointed out the lack of next stop monitors, this is a relatively simple feature compared to other improvements that I hope is implemented onto our buses in the near future.

[sirspeedy]

As a guy coming from a small New Zealand town of 30, 000 people that barely has a functioning bus network, The public transport and freedom in Sydney without the need for a car is all I've ever wanted

[Zergcerebrates]

I love the Sydney transport, their logos and the letter icons, love how simple and straight forward it is. I live in the US and our transportation just sucks when compared with Sydney's. The trains in Sydney are nice, modern and clean and I just like how extensive the network is. I like their ferries as well.

[bakednotfried]

I recently visited Sydney for the first time from New Zealand and was blown away. Primarily used Trains and Ferries and found the whole system to be easy to use and reliable. The app made it easy to calculate costs and Opal cards made it easy to get on and off quickly. Never had to wait long for a train and ferries are the greatest way to explore Sydney harbour. Agreed on buses being the weak point but I can hardly complain!

[GuardianSpeed]

I'm not going to Sydney in the near future but I watch these videos anyway because of how informative yet relaxing they are. These videos are such a vibe

[Koppo]

What a good throwback to when i lived in Sydney, the Ferries just did it to me, getting from A to B via such an scenic travel vehicle was just awesome, i just love the combination of water/big city/ yet nature everywhere

[michaelinnes]

As a freequent visitor, both as a tourist and a businessman working for a SYD based company I think SYD public transport is great. Buses, trams and trains are all I use when I'm there. The add PLUS is to sit on Circular Quay (with jetlag) in the early morning and watch the constant comings and goings of the ferries and their users. A unique mix. Residents always think their transport systems need improvement.

[FazerBlue]

All these transportation vehicles look really good. Nice video!

[exploringsydneysrailways]

Great video! A note on bus stop names: some more notable bus stops do have shorter names, but most are longer descriptive names that say what street they're on and what cross street they're near. Also, the B1 express route to the Northern Beaches does have in-bus next stop display screens.

[gavingavingavin]

Sweet video. I wish a lot of these design language features made their way to my city. Makes me want to travel to Sydney.

[Delmworks]

To be honest this was kind of fascinating. Most people in Sydney who talk about the trains spend the entire time complaining. TBH I think the system IS pretty good, it's just there's so much urban sprawl and focus on the CBD that it kind of ruins it.

[telaandias]

Having grown up in Sydney and just moved to the Netherlands I love that transport across all modes is capped after a certain amount