“ Over the past decade, ferries’ popularity has increased by 140 per cent.”
Damn that’s a raise and a half
Transperth SmartRider: Contactless credit card payment trial begins, may replace system for non-concession holders Transperth SmartRider: Contactless credit card payment trial begins, may replace system for non-concession holders
Perth finally gets access to a modern transport payment system, but landlubbers will have to wait
Members of the public will finally be able to use Transperth’s updated contactless payment system from next week, more than four years after it was first budgeted for – but there is a catch.
The Public Transport Authority is launching a four-week trial of the system from the end of September, which will allow contactless credit card payments for 50 users on the Elizabeth Quay to South Perth ferry route.
https://www.busnews.com.au/what-wa-new-strategy-means-for-the-future-of-bus-travel/
Western Australia has set a new course for its transport future with the release of the Transport Strategic Plan 2025–2029, a statewide blueprint that places public transport and the bus network in particular at the heart of how communities will move in the years ahead.
The plan signals a shift toward public transport systems designed around people rather than modes, emphasising buses as a flexible and scalable solution for both metropolitan growth and regional accessibility. As development continues across Perth and regional centres, buses are expected to become one of the key tools for improving mobility, reducing congestion, and connecting communities that currently lack access to rail services.
Contactless payments accepted across modes from December 08.
Some Transperth buses are now also teal.
Free CAT service to launch at popular Perth beach this weekend
https://www.busnews.com.au/free-cat-service-to-launch-at-popular-perth-beach-this-weekend/
They have also installed ePaper/eInk bus stop infrastructure along the route as well.
Does everyone know that Perth’s smart rider upgrade which included contactless payments was only 68 million and it includes all their regional centres around the State as well, like Esperance and Bunbury etc…
Unless we know what that cost actually entails a comparison is not terribly useful. Ours covers 10 years of operations on top of the installation and back-end support, and the ticketing system is also what powers real-time data (something which is not as widely available in Perth as it is here). The network is also substantially smaller over there - fewer buses, fewer train stations, only 3 ferries - so less to roll out to begin with.
I found myself in Perth last month (My first time to WA) free for two half (week)days and like any sane person used it to explore a bit of their transport network.
A few interesting things I wanted to share:
1. Train Length
Coming into the trip I had heard a lot of praise about Perth’s train frequencies but was suprised to see how few carriages most of their services used.
It seemed like the north-south Yanchep-Mandurah lines were about 75% 6-car, 25% 3-car trains whilst the other lines were mostly 2, 3 or 4 car trains. I understand that the driver/guard are the biggest constraint/cost but it does make me wonder if our aversion in SEQ to 3-car trains should be more nuanced such as structurally running some short services (e.g. Doomben and Cannon Hill - Northgate) on 3-cars, especially with how tight our rollingstock situation is looking.
2. Station Layouts
From the stations I did get to, Perth has a interesting mix of styles and designs. The overall stations quality is very high.
Three stations layouts I wanted to particularly call out:
2a. Cockburn Central
The island platform (1 & 2) with an adjoined terminating platform (3) is quite an effective layout as a cheap way to provide almost cross-platform transfers in all-directions. Does require a long station area. They also have a middle turnaround track to the south of the station allowing terminating services to also use the main platform.
2b. Kelmscott
One of the most unique stations that I’ve ever seen. An island platform with a bus only road down the middle (and bus only level crossings on either side) allowing easy bus-train connections.
2c. Kenwick
The two platforms are split across a level crossing. Certainly not something to construct these days but an interesting method of minimising gate down time.
