2020 a Guide to Getting Around in Canberra 2020
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ACT Seniors Information Service Call 6282 3777 for information on: • Housing options A guide • ACT ASeniors Card schemeGuide A Guide • Government and community services to getting• Information resources around toto gettinggetting around around • Services for older people and their carers • Social groups • Support groupsin Canberra in Canberra • and much more. in Canberra Email [email protected] Website cotaact.org.au 2020 edition 2020 edition A guide to getting around Canberra This booklet has been put together to help you find your way around the transport system in Canberra. There is information about accessing: • buses • trains • light rail • community transport • taxis Where possible, we have listed the numbers you can ring (and places you can go) to get information in hardcopy as well as on the internet. If you need to know more, call: Transport Canberra 02 6207 7711 Access Canberra 13 22 81 COTA ACT Seniors Information Line 02 6282 3777 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Bus 02 6205 3555 This booklet was developed by the Council on the Ageing ACT (COTA ACT) wirth the support of the ACT Government. COTA ACT is a not for profit organisation, and is the peak organisation addressing all issues related to ageing. We offer a range of services and support options for older people in the ACT community. The information in this booklet is accurate and current at the date of publication – March 2020 Feedback is very welcome and can be directed to COTA ACT: • by phone 02 6282 3777; • by mail to Hughes Community Centre, 2 Wisdom St Hughes ACT 2605; or • by email to [email protected]. Contents Getting around by bus and light rail 1 Safety, complaints and compliments 15 What is MyWay? 2 UBER 15 Payment 2 PkUp 16 Did you know? Lights on the Driving 17 card reader 3 Disability parking 17 Getting around by bus and light rail 4 Eligibility 17 Concessional and free travel 4 Where can I park? 17 Concessional fares 4 Transitioning from driving 18 Free travel 4 Minimising driving 18 Free off peak travel 4 Planning your trip 5 Other ways of getting around 19 NXTBUS 6 Walking 19 Park & Ride 6 Cycling 19 What if I have a disability, vision Personal mobility devices impairment or mobility problem? 7 and scooters 20 What can the driver to do help? 8 And if you’re stuck at home? 20 HELP! 8 How, where, why? 21 Compliments and complaints 8 The bus takes too long and a taxi Community transport 9 costs too much! 21 I can’t catch the bus – what else I want to go out at night – but is there? 9 what if I miss the last bus home? 21 ACT Community Bus Service 9 I’d like to go out – but I don’t Aboriginal and Torres Strait have anyone to go with 21 Islander Bus 11 Canberra social clubs Flexible Bus Service 11 and associations 22 Other options 12 Travelling interstate 22 Taxi services 13 Buses 22 I need a wheelchair accessible Buses to the airport 22 taxi (WAT) 13 Planes 23 Taxi services available in Canberra 13 Trains 23 What can you expect from a Canberra taxi driver? 14 Useful numbers and websites 24 By Bidgee, CC BY-SA 3.0 au, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84480878 Getting around by bus and light rail Transport Canberra is the provider of public transport in the ACT, which includes Action buses and light rail. Bus and light rail Bus Public transport services in Canberra include: • Canberra Metro - A light rail system that provides a quick, direct way to travel between Civic and Gungahlin. In peak times, the light rail runs every six minutes with 13 stops along Northbourne Ave. and Flemington Rd. • Rapid routes – Rapids are frequent direct bus and light rail routes that run between town centres and other key destinations. Rapids operate at least every 15 minutes on weekdays between 7am and 7pm, and frequently at other times. Rapid routes are numbered 1-10. • Regular bus routes – Local bus services that are designed to get people to their town centre and other destinations in their area. Regular routes generally run every 20 to 30 minutes in peak times, and at least hourly during the day, on evenings and on weekends. Regular bus routes are numbered 18-81. • Peak bus routes – Peak bus routes are designed to get passengers travelling longer distances to and from the City and Parliamentary Triangle during the commuter peak on weekdays. Peak routes are numbered in the 100’s. • Culture loop shuttle bus - A free bus loop that connects Civic to Canberra’s cultural institutions. • Holiday timetable – during some holiday periods, Transport Canberra routes may operate on a reduced timetable. Contact Transport Canberra for more information. For further information: • Check the website at transport.act.gov.au • Call Transport Canberra on 13 17 10 Information in hardcopy may be available at Bus Stations and MyWay Recharge Agents. Getting around by bus and light rail 1 What is MyWay? MyWay is the prepaid ticketing system for travel on buses and light rail in Canberra. The smartcard technology enables money value and/or travel entitlements to be stored on the card. Dependent on your eligible concessions, your MyWay card can be purchased at a MyWay Recharge Agent or Access Canberra Service Centre. Call Transport Canberra on 13 17 10 or go to transport.act.gov.au to find your nearest location. Payment How do I pay? You can pay on the bus with cash, or by tagging your MyWay card on the scanning machine. Remember to scan your card when you are getting on and off public transport as this makes travelling significantly cheaper. If you want to catch the Light Rail, you can purchase a cash fare through a ticketing machine on the Light Rail platform, or by tagging your MyWay card on the scanning machine on the platform before boarding the light rail vehicle. Where do I get a MyWay card? If you are under 62 (or under 60 years from 1 July 2020), you can get a MyWay card from: • the Transport Canberra website transport.act.gov.au, • by calling Transport Canberra on 13 17 10, • from an Access Canberra Service Centre or • or from a MyWay Recharge Agent If you’re 62 or over (or over 60 years from 1 July 2020) you may be eligible for a Seniors/MyWay Card – see Concessions below. 2 Getting around by bus and light rail If you are 70 or over and live in the ACT, travel on public transport is free. However, to travel for free you need a Seniors/MyWay Card – see Concessions below. Remember: MyWay ticketing machines are located on board Action buses and light rail Bus and on the platforms of light rail stops. How do I put money on a MyWay card? You can add money to your MyWay card (and Seniors/MyWay Card) by: • Autoload – set up a direct debit from your bank account/credit card when the balance falls below $10. You can choose the top up amount. • visiting a MyWay Recharge Agent or Access Canberra Service Centre. • using a Ticket Vending Machine – at major bus stations and light rail platforms. • going online to transport.act.gov.au and select Top up my MyWay from the Tickets & MyWay menu item. • calling 13 17 10 and make payment with your Visa or Mastercard. • BPAY – using the biller code and customer reference number on the front of your MyWay card. Did you know? Lights on the card reader Green = tap on success = tap on successful and card balance is Green + Yellow below $10 Yellow = tap on successful, however as a result of failing to, or being unable to, tap off on your previous trip, a default fare has been applied Red = card is either not valid, has expired, an error has occurred reading the card, or there is an insufficient balance Getting around by bus and light rail 3 Getting around by bus and light rail Concessional and free travel Concessional fares You are entitled to concessional fares on ACT public transport if you hold: • an ACT Seniors Card, • a combined ACT Seniors/MyWay Card, • an eligible student card, • a Department of Human Services or Department of Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card, or • an Interstate Seniors Card. If you are an ACT resident, aged 62 or over (or aged 60 or over on July 1st 2020), and work no more than 20 hours (paid) a week, you can get a combined Seniors/MyWay Card from: • any ACT library, • Access Canberra Service Centres, or • the COTA ACT office in the Hughes Community Centre. Free travel Free travel on Action buses and light rail is available to: • Seniors/MyWay cardholders aged over 70, • Vision Impaired Travel Pass holders, • DVA TPI Gold Card holders. • holders of a Companion Card issued by the Community Services Directorate, and • children aged 5 and under who are not attending school. Free off peak travel Free off peak travel is available to holders of: • an ACT Seniors/MyWay card*, • a Health Care Card issued by the Department of Human services, • a Pension Card issued by the Department of Human services, 4 Getting around by bus and light rail • a DVA Gold Card, or • Interstate Seniors Card. To take advantage of free travel you just need to tap on and tap off the bus correctly using a MyWay card during the stated off peak periods. The free off and light rail Bus peak travel does not apply to cash fares. Off peak hours are between 9am and 4:30pm, and after 6pm on weekdays, and all day on weekends and public holidays.