Melbourne’s public transport
23 February 2004 by danielbowenI planned to visit Melbourne for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. If I can’t drive, and I can’t walk more than 30 mins without taking a break. Can I survive in Melbourne with only the use of public transportation? Do you have Night buses running routes overnight? - Joshua, probably Singapore
Welcome to Melbourne. The weather changes multiple times per day, but I’m sure you’ll have a good time.
Ho boy, did you ask the right person.
If you choose where you’re living/staying/visiting carefully, and you have a little patience and a good book to read while waiting, then yes, you can certainly survive using just public transport. In fact it’s likely to be a positive advantage during the Commonwealth Games, when the city is expected to be bursting at the seems with visitors and the roads will be choking with traffic. Your $5.80 (inc GST; plus however much it goes up in the next two years) for a daily zone 1 ticket is likely to be a very good investment indeed. Especially since you can avoid having to do hook turns in a car.
If you’re going to be going to the events, all the major sporting venues (and most of the minor ones) are near to the main transport train/tram routes. You can also observe or join in the locals’ sporting activities that occur on the transport system, including the ticket gate hurdles, busker avoidance, platform ramp sprint and orienteering the tram routes.
Most other attractions in the city can be reached fairly easily by public transport too, and if you do find yourself heading to somewhere that isn’t on the main routes, you can always get a taxi as a last resort, though as in most cities, these tend to be scarcer than hens’ teeth at peak times.
The Nightrider buses normally run only on Friday and Saturday nights (because apparently the city shuts down at midnight on other nights), but as is the case during the Formula 1 Grand Prix, during the Commonwealth Games their operations (and those of regular services) may be extended to run every night.
