Public Transport to our airports - what's cheapest?

[kpc]

There actually is an extra access fee for using Mascot Station (although less than the dom/international fee); used to be paid by the passenger but the nsw gov now pays it for each passenger.

Even better that the NSW government pays for my gate fee to use Mascot station!

Last night cost me $2.31 from Domestic to Mascot station, then $1.76 train home...so all up $4.07 (off peak)

 

[kpc]

Public Service announcement:

"Travel will be free for passengers on all rail services statewide including Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink, Airport Link and Metro from Thursday 31 July to Friday 1 August inclusive.

From 12.01am Thursday 31 July to 11.59pm on Friday 1 August 2025, travel will be free on all Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink, Airport Link, and Sydney Metro services."

And this inclues the expensive airport gate fee!

Two days of free travel on the Train and Metro networks

Travel will be free for passengers on all rail services statewide including Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink, Airport Link and Metro from Thursday 31 July to Friday 1 August inclusive.

transportnsw.info

 

[serfty]

Pubic Public service announcement:

"Travel will be free for passengers on all rail services statewide including Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink, Airport Link and Metro from Thursday 31 July to Friday 1 August inclusive.

From 12.01am Thursday 31 July to 11.59pm on Friday 1 August 2025, travel will be free on all Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink, Airport Link, and Sydney Metro services."

And this inclues the expensive airport gate fee!

Two days of free travel on the Train and Metro networks

Travel will be free for passengers on all rail services statewide including Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink, Airport Link and Metro from Thursday 31 July to Friday 1 August inclusive.

transportnsw.info

Booked out now but the XPT trains were also available to be booked for free on these dates.

 

[kpc]

Booked out now but the XPT trains were also available to be booked for free on these dates.

A little birdie told me you are making an overnight train trip to Sydney to take advantage of this

 

[serfty]

A little birdie told me you are making an overnight train trip to Sydney to take advantage of this

Certainly taking advantage - but with Sydney CBD Accommodation sky high when I'm there, I'm taking the free train to Mascot ...

 

[kpc]

Certainly taking advantage - but with Sydney CBD Accommodation sky high when I'm there, I'm taking the free train to Mascot ...

He told me you are going back Fri morning but he is going back in the evening so we will try and catchup for an early dinner near Central before his train

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Excuse me, but you put "pubic" up there.

 

[CaptJCool]

Has the free travel spawned an exodus into Sydney for the British Lions game on 2 August

I’m in Sydney for the week and hotels seemed extortionate

Also
Darwin continues to have FREE public transport

Bus tickets and fares

Check how much a bus ticket costs and if you are eligible for a concession fare.

nt.gov.au

 

[serfty]

I’m in Sydney for the week, and hotels seemed extortionate

Prices? That they are ... hence my use of a free train trip to Mascot for some slightly cheaper accommodation. Plus, I replaced the return train booking with JQ62.

And this includes the expensive airport gate fee!

Indeed! Today and tomorrow, train travel to/from SYD International is completely free.

 

[clifford]

Indeed! Today and tomorrow, train travel to/from SYD International is completely free.

And up to 6 am on Saturday. (for those early flights)...

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Re: Launceston:
Seems like some parts of it is walkable , via cement pathway.
Maybe they would put walking paths all the way from Hobart Airport to Breadlebane...!
But around 895 or so, they seem to be doing some pathway cementing, according to googlemaps a while ago.
Then get the 796 to city of Launceston.
As it is, maybe an hour of walking to save some $, but the 796 runs every 2/2.5 hrs.

 

[clifford]

Re: Launceston:
Seems like some parts of it is walkable , via cement pathway.
Maybe they would put walking paths all the way from Hobart Airport to Breadlebane...!
But around 895 or so, they seem to be doing some pathway cementing, according to googlemaps a while ago.
Then get the 796 to city of Launceston.
As it is, maybe an hour of walking to save some $, but the 796 runs every 2/2.5 hrs.

I'm having an overnight in Launceston later this year and have been looking into this very issue of getting to Lauceston city from LST. From experience at LST. Uber can be expensive, due to the tricks they play with surge pricing, etc. Cabs are not far behind either.

So I have come to the conclusion that I will either rent a car from Hertz (as I can get corportate rates), or try the walk/bus option. I have used the local buses in that part of the world before (to/from Longford), and they are quite reliable and inexpensive. What puts me off the car rental option a little is the apparently limited safe overnight parking in the city.

So, I've dome a little research into the walk/bus option, and on the surface it seems quite doable. It's 2.1 km from the airport to the bus stop in Breadalbane, via what appears to be a paved walkway/bike path. That being the case it's less than a 30 minute walk, with a smallish backpack. Once at the bus stop, you have the option of 3 bus lines, namely the 792, 794 and 796 to Launceston city. It would really just be a matter of timing your walk according to the bus timetable. I'll let you know what I decide to do in due course.

FWIW, several years ago I walked from HBA to Cambridge to get a public bus to Hobart city, about an hour's walk, past Cambridge aerodrome, which had an interesting and eclectic selection of light aircraft. The things people will do to save a few $$$ (and also keep fit at the same time).

 

[SYD]

I'm having an overnight in Launceston later this year and have been looking into this very issue of getting to Lauceston city from LST. From experience at LST. Uber can be expensive, due to the tricks they play with surge pricing, etc. Cabs are not far behind either.

So I have come to the conclusion that I will either rent a car from Hertz (as I can get corportate rates), or try the walk/bus option. I have used the local buses in that part of the world before (to/from Longford), and they are quite reliable and inexpensive. What puts me off the car rental option a little is the apparently limited safe overnight parking in the city.

So, I've dome a little research into the walk/bus option, and on the surface it seems quite doable. It's 2.1 km from the airport to the bus stop in Breadalbane, via what appears to be a paved walkway/bike path. That being the case it's less than a 30 minute walk, with a smallish backpack. Once at the bus stop, you have the option of 3 bus lines, namely the 792,794 and 796 to Launceston city. It would really just be a matter of timing your walk according to the bus timetable. I'll let you know what I decide to do in due course.

FWIW, several years ago I walked from HBA to Cambridge to get a public bus to Hobart city, about an hour's walk, past Cambridge aerodrome, which had an interesting and eclectic selection of light aircraft. The things people will do to save a few $$$ (and also keep fit at the same time).

We’ll be there in a few weeks for a drive around Tassie and just assumed it would make sense to collect the car on arrival and return prior to departure. Wasn’t aware of any issues with o/n parking?

 

[clifford]

We’ll be there in a few weeks for a drive around Tassie and just assumed it would make sense to collect the car on arrival and return prior to departure. Wasn’t aware of any issues with o/n parking?

Yes that's fine if you're staying for a few days, but for an overnighter it becomes less obvious. I'll have plenty of time to get to the city (flight arrives 10:50 am), so the bus option may well work well for me (and the exercise won't go amiss either).

 

[SYD]

Yes that's fine if you're staying for a few days, but for an overnighter it becomes less obvious. I'll have plenty of time to get to the city (flight arrives 10:50 am), so the bus option may well work well for me (and the exercise won't go amiss either).

Still worth checking out the oneway car hire if you have access to a good corp rate.

There does come a point where connivence outways cost.

I worked out years ago it was actually cheaper to get a car in CBR and PER. In both cases I had access to free day or o/n parking. And that was work paying!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Car rental or the Launceston (private) airport shuttle, are the only way.
The 796 from Creasy bypasses the airport at Western Junction, so does the 792 from Evandale.
792 only does 3 times a day, 796 is a bit more often.
But the only trouble is the walk on the grass verge, and crossing the high way without traffic lights.
There is a way to walk part way, via the car park to the nearest roundabout, near the airport, but then after that, to the 2nd roundabout, its grass verge.
The way the Tas gov did it with the 792/796 is very cunning, they purposely put the 2 buses to run a very far distance from the airport, so everyone gets a cut of the profits from either the rental car rev or the Launceston airport shuttle.
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Maybe wait for SYD to see how far they have done the cementing of the walkway from the airport to Breadalbane.
Googlemaps shows there is a walkway, but the thing is crossing the main road, indeed might have to get to the roundabout, to cross where cars slow down, as there is traffic light to cross the Evendale Rd.
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Turns out the walkway does extend quite far, up to National Highway, Evandale Rd and Hobart Rd roundabout, according to google maps.
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Very best of luck, ehe, I would still have taken (take) the shuttle bus, personally.