CBR-SYD travel options vs social distancing when not able to fly

Joined
Apr 16, 2018
Posts
95
Qantas
Platinum
For whose of us who have noticed that X and N codes are often zeroed on QF between CBR and SYD in the short/mid term, have flights that for some of us might be at inconvenient times or just don't like flying on the Dash-8 (WAT?) have, assuming that you don't drive or have a chauffeur, the option of either Murrays or Greyhound buses, or the train from an inconveniently placed (but relatively close to town) CBR station in Kingston to Central in SYD.

The Greyhound Bus website suggest that while they are COVID conscious, that they will not restrict themselves from filling buses entirely and can use the seat selection process to places themselves at a "comfortable distance" from other passengers. Yeah, right. The Murray's Buses website states explicitly that they will still fill buses to capacity if the demand is there.

NSW Rail on the other hand mandate a shadow and is now comparably priced (in Y) to taking either bus which have jumped in fare about 10-20% since COVID. Flying vs taking the bus has always been hard to justify given that bus fares were originally about 20-25% cheaper (at times as low as $5!) than taxes on an award fare AND you lose 8000+ points. Being a points club member tips the proposition for those of us who are still approaching LTG (or LTS for that matter - so close!) but in the absence of available/suitable award flights, for those that don't want to pay full fare I wanted to put it out there that NSW rail link is now not only the most comfortable way to bet between cities, it's probably the safest from a COVID point of view.

I can think of nothing worse than being stuck on a bus that is full bumper to bumper of coughing or sneezing people. They don't even allow hot food on board because, as the automated safety message at the beginning of the journey states "the smell quickly spreads throughout the coach". I'd wager one infectious person would probably infect close to the entire coach.

No thanks!


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I've done this trip by train a number of times - it's actually quite scenic and only 4 or so hours. NSW TrainLink who operate the service have strict social distancing policies and are not seating people together etc.
 
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