Public Transport to our airports - what's cheapest?

I was looking up how to use Public Transport from CHC, seems you need a Metrocard or cash. And Metrocards are not sold at the airport or available to pre-purchase and delivery outside NZ. But it lead me down the hole of finding out about the combined travel system - called Motu. Here's the update from June:




I'll be in CHC in Jan and Feb 2025, so if I'm lucky this may have been implemented by then.
I'll be there in Mar 25, if you could give update in Feb please, though will probably hire a car (yet to check the airport surcharge)
 
Ah I didn't realise the airport surcharge has been scrapped, they previously had one but that's no more!

Ah ok, I just started looking into this today, it looks like the took away the airport surcharge in May'22.

You can travel on any Metro bus across Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri for $2 or less with your Metrocard. These new fares reduce and simplify our existing fares. Concessions are available for under 25 years olds, Community Service card holders, tertiary students and Total Mobility card holders.


It would've helped to be able to buy a Metrocard at CHC Airport itself!
Post automatically merged:

I'll be there in Mar 25, if you could give update in Feb please, though will probably hire a car (yet to check the airport surcharge)
Will do. I have a very leisurely arrival and no hurry at all, so thought I'd take the bus rather than taxi/uber into town.
 
Canberra Airport (to Canberra Centre)
Fastest - Direct Bus - 16 minutes - $4.80 (now $3.22 on a card, I think old price was cash))
The cash fare for Transport Canberra buses (and the train) has been $5 since Jan 2019. I'm expecting a fare increase early next year after the new ticketing system is rolled out (due in Nov).
They stopped accepting cash on board during covid, but you can still get tickets (at the cash fare rate) at ticket machines at major stations.
It is cheaper if you have a travel card, with different rates for peak (before 9am and between 4 and 6pm weekdays) and off peak.

Ticket machines, card top up and card readers were all turned off yesterday with all travel for free until the new ticketing system is up and running.

The airport bus (R3) continues past the CBD into the north of Canberra. https://www.transport.act.gov.au/__...476738/22751_TC_region_map_inner-north_A4.pdf
 
As an ACT resident aged over 70, Canberra buses are always free. In NSW, with my Opal Gold card, the maximum I pay each day is $2.50 (of course I don't get the train to or from an airport station). The 50c fare in Qld (1/2 fare to the airport) is also quite nice.
 
50c fares in QLD at the moment are great. I flew into OOL on Monday night and the line for the bus was already reasonably long and I just wanted to get home so I pulled out my phone to check Uber. At ~$55 to my place I quickly decided the crowded bus would be perfectly fine 😆

Once on the tram it was definitely more spacious and I appreciated my cost savings a lot more. Luckily I only had to wait couple of minutes for the bus and then about five minutes for the tram so it wasn't too bad as far as time goes.
 
I'm surprised OOL is tolerating the lost Uber revenue and not moved the public bus stop to the outer edges of airport property.
 
I'm surprised OOL is tolerating the lost Uber revenue and not moved the public bus stop to the outer edges of airport property.
What is it with Uber in and around OOL?

I even had the issue of Uber telling they weren’t available on the NSW side. What, QLD Ubers are only for Queenslanders? 🙄
 
What is it with Uber in and around OOL?

I even had the issue of Uber telling they weren’t available on the NSW side. What, QLD Ubers are only for Queenslanders? 🙄
Except when they can cross into the border region with a printed/doctored PDF on the windscreen.
 
Slightly related. There is a bike cage available at Adelaide airport, right by the pedestrian crossing to the car hire places and the rideshare pickup. You have to use an Adelaide Metrocard that has bikecage option turned on (easily done at the ticket office at the Adelaide Railway Station. I have tried it for a same day return flight recently.

 
Slightly related. There is a bike cage available at Adelaide airport, right by the pedestrian crossing to the car hire places and the rideshare pickup. You have to use an Adelaide Metrocard that has bikecage option turned on (easily done at the ticket office at the Adelaide Railway Station. I have tried it for a same day return flight recently.

I read this as bird cage and wondered what on earth that had to do with public transport. Never mind
 
Yesterdays Airtrain was half free but not
Unlike those who took the replacement bus on Sunday where it was FREE

Having coughed up $10 just for the NEW go card and with $4.50 credit on the card

I boarded the train

at the Airport exit gate it came up as -$6.45

THROW away card ….
 
THROW away card ….
The $10 is refundable. Technically you could have loaded the $10.95 onto the card and then got the $10 refund for the card making it cheaper. The alternative now is to use a credit/debit card if taking the train only.
 
The $10 is refundable. Technically you could have loaded the $10.95 onto the card and then got the $10 refund for the card making it cheaper. The alternative now is to use a credit/debit card if taking the train only.
Well
Technically Refundable and making it difficult for punters to do so hence my negative balance and the “throw away card” leaving the balance at $-6.45 meant my ride to the airport was $4.50 plus $3.55 = $8.05 thus a discount of $2.90

Even if I did ask for a refund not living in brissy I need so the form filling and would get $3.55 so yeah
 
I just recently discovered I can catch a bus from my place to the Cannon Hill Interchange, then a fast bus to DFO at the airport for a total of 50c. Then a free shuttle that leaves every 10 minutes to the terminals.

50c to the airport is vying for cheapest transport to the airport around AU (except for @openseat riding his bike.
 
Read our AFF credit card guides and start earning more points now.

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

The DFO Skygate loop service is every 30 minutes only:
You are correct my bad. The inter-terminal bus runs every 10 mins. the DFO bus less frequently.
 

Become an AFF member!

Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) for free and unlock insider tips, exclusive deals, and global meetups with 65,000+ frequent flyers.

AFF members can also access our Frequent Flyer Training courses, and upgrade to Fast-track your way to expert traveller status and unlock even more exclusive discounts!

AFF forum abbreviations

Wondering about Y, J or any of the other abbreviations used on our forum?

Check out our guide to common AFF acronyms & abbreviations.
Back
Top