My Journal: Free shuttle bus in Australia

I was really happy whenever I got a chance to catch the free shuttle bus in Australia. In order to save the money for travelling, I walked as often as possible but it's inevitable to take the public transporation system, the area of Australia is not as small as that of Taiwan, it's around 200 times larger. We can get many benefits from the free shuttle bus, saving money, air conditioner, saving energy, observing the customers on the bus, getting to the destination soon. I often complained about the public transporation system in my home town, no free shuttle bus, not to mention the few frequency of buses, unbelievable delay time, few routing paths. The population is around 400 thousand, plus additional employees from other cities, is that impossible to have a non-free mature public transportation system? There's a suburb more than 10 kilometers away from Perth called Fremantle, the population is less than 30 thousand but they get free shuttle bus in the city.
每次在澳洲坐上免費的巴士就覺得很開心。一個人在外除了靠這雙腿勤走路來節省旅費之外，乘坐大眾捷運是無法避免的，澳洲的國土可不比台灣，大約是二百多倍大。免費接駁車的好處真的是「罄竹難書」，省錢、吹冷氣、節省體力、觀察車上乘客、更快的到達目的地。常常在心裡就怨嘆起家鄉的大眾捷運系統，沒提供免費的就算了，有的公車班次還要等上好幾個小時、嚴重誤點、路線分部的不夠廣。人口還歹也四十萬，再加上外來的工作人口，難到連完善一點的付費公車都無法推動嗎？遠在澳洲西澳首都十多公里外的費利曼圖，人口不到三萬，都有免費公車了。

From Perth (Australia)

Train station in Perth city
柏斯火車站

From Perth (Australia)

Free shuttle bus stop outside the Perth train station
珀斯火車站外的免費公車站

From Perth (Australia)

The bus routing map beside the Perth free shuttle bus stop {Blue CAT, totally three in Perth, Yellow CAT, Red CAT)
珀斯免費公車站旁的公車路線圖（藍貓線，珀斯共三條，黃貓、紅貓）

From Perth (Australia)

Perth blue CAT, there's an image of cat on the bus's skin (The board whose color is in red and white under the door should be the device for the disability and pram
珀斯藍貓公車，車體上有貓的圖案（車門下方，紅白相間的板子，是給輪椅使用者或是推嬰兒車者方便進出）

From 20080729_Cottesloe

The bus with longer body in Perth
珀斯加長型巴士

From 20081004

Perth red CAT bus stop
珀斯紅貓公車站牌

From Perth Zoo

SmartRider card in which you can deposit money for taking bus, train and ferry
SmartRider 卡，類似台北的悠遊卡可以儲值，以這張卡付費可以有折扣，如果是用現金買票則要付全額，這張卡能夠用來坐公車、火車、渡輪

No matter the free shuttle bus, pay bus, train or tram, you can lookup the schedule, timetable on the Internet. You can not only find the traveling information in the information center but also get the time table and routing path. The government there is really considerate. In contrast to Taiwan, the government ignores the system because of few profits, the citizens would rather ride motorcycle or drive themselves, what a vicious circle.
不論是免費公車、付費公車、火車，你都能上網查詢班次、時間。在各大資訊中除了旅遊資訊外，也能夠索取大眾捷運的時刻表、路線圖。他們的政府就甘心。反觀台灣，因為不賺錢就放給他爛，民眾寧願騎機車、開車，簡直是惡性循環。

From 20080928_RottnestIsland

Free shuttle bus in Fremantle
費利曼圖免費接駁車

Generally speaking, the free shuttle buses in Australia circle around the CBD(Central Business District)
一般來說，澳洲的免費公車都是環繞著市區跑：

1. Public transportation in Sydney, the bus with only one routing path, circling in two ways, counterclockwise and clockwise.
一、雪梨，公車單一環繞路線分為順時針和逆時針兩條。

2. Adelaide Metro in Adelaide, the bus with only one routing path, circling in two ways, counterclockwise and clockwise. One bus route runs between Adelaide and North Adelaide, and part of the tram path in city is free.
二、阿德雷德，公車單一環繞路分為順時針和逆時針兩條。另一條公車路線則是跑阿德雷德和北阿德雷德，還有路上輕軌車市區部份免費搭乘。

3. Metlink in Melbourne, the tram with only one routing path, circling in two ways, counterclockwise and clockwise.
三、墨爾本，路上輕軌車，單一環繞路線分為順時針和逆時針兩條。

4. Transperth in Perth, The free shuttle buses here are my favorite, compared to the buses in other cities, the three routing paths constitute three big blocks, you can transfer among these three routes in the intersection of these blocks. The routing paths cover the city widely. Furthermore, not only the free shuttle buses, you can take the pay buses for free once the bus reaches the free zone block in the city.
四、柏斯，我超愛這裡的免費公車，和其它地方不同的是，它有三條路線構成三個大區塊，區塊交集的地方，剛好能夠轉車到其它區塊。路線所含蓋的區域真的很廣。而且，不僅是免費公車，就算是付費公車，只要到達市區某些區塊，在這區塊裡乘坐一切都免費。

5. Transperth in Fremantle, just a suburb more than 10 kilometers away from Perth, it provides free shuttle bus as well.
五、費利曼圖，只是柏斯旁的一個觀光小鎮，也提供了一條免費的公車單一環繞路線。

There are the free public transporation system I've ever taken, I reckon there are some more few services in other places of Australia.
以上是我曾經搭乘過的，我想在澳洲其它地方應該也有這樣的服務。

From 20081027_Adelaide

The tram in Adelaide
阿德雷德輕軌電車

From 20081105_Adelaide

The tram in Adelaide
阿德雷德輕軌電車

From 20081103_Adelaide

The train in Adelaide
阿德雷德火車

From 20081105_Adelaide

Adelaide Metro info center
阿德雷德大眾捷運資訊服務中心

Refer to the bus, the Perth government is rich probably because the mines. I found all the new buses were made by Mercedes-Benz with some features which are convenient for the citizens, the left side of the bus, the door for the passengers to pass in and out, can incline lower. It's much easier to pass in and out for the elders and disability. Moreover, there will be a board stretching out from the bottom of the door once the passengers are carrying the pram or on the wheelchair.
說到公車，珀斯或許是因為西澳的產礦，政府特別的有錢，我發現較新的公車全部都是賓士的，它有幾個非常便民的功能，公車的左側即乘客上下的門口，能夠調整高低，對於行動不便或是年紀大一點的人來說，降低門口的高度，更容易的出入。另外遇到民眾推嬰兒車或是坐輪椅，會有一塊板子從門口底端伸出。

From 20090306_Melbourne_Moomba

Tram in Melbourne
墨爾本輕軌電車

From 20090227_Melbourne

Free tram in Melbourne
墨爾本免費輕軌電車

From 20090227_Melbourne

Melbourne center station
墨爾本中央火車站

The ticket price in Adelaide is cheaper compared to those above, they provides many kinds of ticket, single use ticket, ten times ticket is much cheaper than the single use ticket, it also has the effect of encouraging the citizens to take public transporation system.
阿德雷德的大眾捷運票價應該是上面幾個中較為便宜的，他們車票的種類有分多種，最一般的就是單次票價，也有所謂的十次票價，一張票用十次，平均之後的費用更為低廉，也能達到鼓勵民眾搭乘的效果。