Buses in Perth
From top left to bottom right: aVolvo B8RLE, aMercedes-Benz OC 500 LE operating theFremantle CAT, aVolvo B7RLE operating thePerth CAT, aVolvo B8RLEA articulated bus
Overview
Owner	Public Transport Authority
Locale	Perth,Mandurah and surrounds
Transit type	Bus
Number of stations	42 bus-train interchanges 13 bus-only stations
Annual ridership	82,273,790 (year to June 2024)
Headquarters	Public Transport Centre
Operation
Operator(s)	Path Transit (1996–present) Swan Transit (1996–present) Transdev WA (1996–present) MTT (1958–1998) Various (before 1964)
Number of vehicles	1,573 as of June 2023

Buses in Perth, the capital city ofWestern Australia, are run under theTransperth brand. The system is owned and managed by thePublic Transport Authority and operations are contracted out to private operators:Swan Transit,Path Transit andTransdev.

The Transperth system has 38 bus stations, 30 of which are integrated with train stations. With 82,273,790 boardings in the year to June 2024, it is the fourth busiest bus system in Australia, afterSydney,Melbourne andBrisbane.

The first private bus operator began in Perth in 1903.^[1] In order to protect the railways, the state government passed the Transport Co-ordination Act in 1934, forcing road transport operators to obtain a licence to transport passengers or goods. The licencing board generally permitted bus operators to continue operating, but with restrictions on when the buses could operate to reduce competition with trains. This act remained in force until 1959.^[2] The first commercially successful bus companies were set up by returning soldiers followingWorld War I.^[3]Trolleybuses were introduced in 1933 as a supplement to the existingPerth tram network.^[1]

Investment in buses fell during and afterWorld War II, leading the buses to become run-down. Car ownership became more common as well, and these factors caused bus patronage to fall following 1950.^[3]

In 1957, theParliament of Western Australia passed theMetropolitan (Perth) Passenger Transport Trust Act. The act wasassented on 10 December that year and on 15 January 1958, theMetropolitan (Perth) Passenger Transport Trust was formed under thetrading name Metropolitan Transport Trust, or MTT for short. The act called for the MTT "to provide, maintain, protect and manage … efficient passenger transport facilities."^[4][5]

The MTT commenced operations on 31 August 1958. The first two private operators the MTT acquired were Metro Buses and Beam Transport. Later in 1958, Carlisle Bus Service, Kalamunda Bus Service and United Buses were acquired. In early 1959, Emu Buses was acquired. No further acquisitions were in the 1959–60financial year, but negotiations commenced for the acquisition of theWA Government Tramways and Ferries, the Fremantle Municipal Transport Board, the Riverton Bus Service, and the Coogee-Spearwood Bus Company. Concession fares for pensioners and ex-service people were introduced. The following financial year, the MTT acquired the aforementioned agencies and companies. By this point, the MTT owned 26 different engine models which resulted in high maintenance and repair costs, so the MTT adopted a fleet standardisation policy.^[4]

The MTT acquired the North Beach Bus Company in October 1961 and in April 1962, it acquired the Scarborough Bus Service. The MTT took over the operation of the Perth toWanneroo bus service from Metro Tours in June 1964. Bus-ferry transfers were introduced in 1964–65, which allowed transfers between the two modes with no additional cost to the passenger. This resulted in an increase in patronage on the ferry services from theBarrack Street Jetty to theMends Street Jetty inSouth Perth. Diesel buses started to take over thetrolleybus routes as well that financial year. On 30 August 1969, the last trolleybuses ran, making Perth the last city in Australia where trolleybuses operated.^[4][6]: 8

In 1972–73, the first bus stations opened in Perth. A bus station inMorley opened in August 1972 andWellington Street bus station opened in March 1973. These bus stations were part of a plan to build a ring of bus stations in suburban locations around Perth near shopping centres, operate feeder buses to the bus stations, where passengers could then transfer to mainline buses to the Perth central business district (CBD). Express buses would also operate between suburban bus stations and the Perth CBD during peak periods. More of these bus stations would open over the following years, includingKarrinyup in September 1974,Rockingham in November 1974,Kwinana in 1975–76,Booragoon in September 1976,Innaloo in January 1977, andMirrabooka in September 1979. In June 1980,Kelmscott railway station was redeveloped to incorporate a bus station on the railway platform for convenient transfers. Rockingham bus station was relocated to a new site in May 1981,Warwick bus station opened in March 1982, andKalamunda bus station opened in September 1982.^[4]

In September 1973, the MTT introduced the City Clipper services, which were free bus routes which ran within the Perth CBD and are predecessors to thePerth Central Area Transit (CAT) routes.^[4]

In 1974, the MTT assumed control ofPerth's suburban rail services, making all public transport in Perth under the control of one organisation for the first time.^[1][4][7] A common fare system between the trains and the buses was introduced for the first time that year. The new fare system meant many patrons got cheaper travel, in particular those who travelled long distances, and it reduced operating costs and helped to speed up services. Free return journeys within two hours were also facilitated by the new system.^[4]Smoking wasbanned on all MTT buses in May 1975, making the MTT Australia's first public transport operator to do so.^[4]

The MTT adoptedTransperth as itstrading name on 31 August 1986.^[1][4][5]

Construction on thePerth City Busport (now called Elizabeth Quay bus station) began in July 1988. As part of the busport, a 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) busway was constructed down the median of theKwinana Freeway between the busport andCanning Bridge. The busway opened in November 1989. The Perth City Busport officially opened in November 1991. The Kwinana Freeway busway was extended by 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) toMount Henry Bridge in 1991 as well.^[4]

The Northern Suburbs Transit System fully opened in March 1993 as theJoondalup line. Bus routes in the northern suburbs were reorganised so that they fed into the Joondalup line. In June 1994, the new Morley bus station (now Galleria bus station) opened.^[4]

In 1993, planning and coordination of public transport was transferred from the MTT to the Department of Transport, whilst the operation of the system remained with the MTT.^[1] In September 1993, Transport MinisterEric Charlton announced plans to privatise the operation of Transperth bus services, following a recommendation given by a report written by the Commission to Review Public Sector Finances. The MTT would be corporatized and compete with the private sector to win contracts for the operation of Transperth services. This was planned to reduce the cost of operating the system whilst retaining the existing level of service.^[8] The system would remain an integrated system under the Transperth brand^[9] and the government would retain control of route planning, timetabling and fares as well as own all buses and infrastructure for the time being. The bus system was divided into 15 contract areas, with nine of these being put to tender in 1995 and 1996.^[7]

The MTT was renamed MetroBus in February 1995 as part of its corporatization,^[10] and in July 1995, MetroBus was named the preferred tenderer for the operation of buses in the Joondalup North and Armadale South contract areas.^[11] The contract for those areas was signed in November 1995, with a length of five years.^[12]Swan Transit became the first private operator, being awarded a seven-year contract to operate buses in the Midland contract area in January 1996.^[12] Further contracts were awarded in September 1996, withSouthern Coast Transit becoming the operator for the Rockingham contract area, Swan Transit becoming the operator for the Southern River and Canning contract areas, andPath Transit becoming the operator for the Marmion and Wanneroo contract areas.^[12]

The transport minister announced in October 1997 plans to tender out the operation of the remaining contract areas by July 1998. The Joondalup North, Armadale South and Kalamunda contract areas had a restricted tender process where they were offered only to the three existing Transperth private sector operators.^[13] The Joondalup North contract area was awarded to Path Transit and the Armadale South and Kalamunda contract areas were awarded to Swan Transit by December 1997.^[14] The remaining contract areas had a public tender process and all contracts areas were planned to be privately operated by July 1998.^[13] Southern Coast Transit was awarded the contracts for Fremantle, Cockburn and theCAT system; Connex WA was awarded the contracts for the Belmont and Claremont contract areas, and Path Transit was awarded the contract for the Morley contract area.^[15] These contracts commenced in July 1998, and so MetroBus no longer operated buses as of that month.^[4][16]

The bus contracting model used in Perth has since been usedin Singapore.^[17][18]

Curtin University bus station opened on 17 November 1999, built at a cost of $1.5 million and jointly funded byCurtin University and the state government.^[19]

Connex WA was purchased by Swan Transit in 2002, leaving the Transperth bus system with three operators.^[20]

ThePublic Transport Authority (PTA) was formed on 1 July 2003, taking over from the Department of Transport as the owner and manager of the Transperth system.^[21]

TheMandurah line opened on 23 December 2007, which resulting in a radical redrawing of bus routes in the southern suburbs so that they feed into the Mandurah line stations, which all had bus interchanges.

As part of thePerth City Link project, Wellington Street bus station was closed on 27 January 2014 and replaced by the temporaryRoe Street bus station so that the undergroundPerth Busport could be constructed in the Wellington Street bus station's place.^[22] Perth Busport began operations on 17 July 2016, replacing Roe Street bus station. The busport cost $217 million and features dynamic stand allocation to increase capacity.^[23][24]

Perth Stadium bus station opened at the start of 2018. It was built to servePerth Stadium and services only operate during stadium events.^[25]Curtin Central bus station, atCurtin University, opened on 17 February 2019 to supplement Curtin University bus station and service a newtransit-oriented development.^[26] On 3 November 2019,Henley Brook bus station opened andEllenbrook transfer station closed.^[27][28] On the 9th of December 2024, theHenley Brook Bus Station was closed, and any bus routes that went to theHenley Brook Bus Station were relocated to eitherWhiteman Park orEllenbrook, which are both train stations on the newEllenbrook Line. More minor bus route changes also occurred on the 9th.

Transperth has 282 standard routes, 270 school bus routes and nine Central Area Transit (CAT) routes.^[29]

Central Area Transit (CAT) buses operate in the Perth CBD,Joondalup and on a route (Surf CAT) linkingStirling andScarborough. CAT buses are free.^[30] Perth CAT buses are funded by thePerth Parking Levy, a parking levy on non-residential parking bays in theCity of Perth.^[31] Joondalup CAT buses are funded by theCity of Joondalup andEdith Cowan University and only operate on weekdays.^[32] There were Fremantle CAT buses which were funded by theCity of Fremantle and the PTA. On 30 September 2023, the Fremantle CAT was withdrawn.^[33][34]

High frequency bus routes are numbered in the 900s. The minimum frequencies required for a high frequency route are every 15 minutes between 7 am and 7 pm on weekdays, every 15 minutes between 8 am and 7 pm on Saturdays, and every 15 minutes between 9 am and 7 pm on Sundays. High frequency routes have different coloured timetables to distinguish them from regular routes.^[35]

The first high frequency bus route in Perth was the 950, running from Morley bus station (nowGalleria bus station) toQueen Elizabeth II Medical Centre viaBeaufort Street, the Perth CBD and theUniversity of Western Australia. This route started operating on 27 January 2014, replacing several existing routes and allowing people to go from the route's northern and southern legs without transferring to a different bus route. At its most frequent, the 950 runs every one to four minutes, making it Perth's most frequent bus route.^[36][37] By May 2014, the 950 had 17,000 daily riders, 2,000 more than expected,^[38] and within the first year of operating, the 950 had 3.7 million total boardings, 1 million more than the bus routes the 950 replaced.^[39] By July 2014,peak hour bus lanes had been completed along Beaufort Street between Bulwer Street andGrand Promenade.^[40][41] More bus lanes were built alongMounts Bay Road in 2015, further speeding up the 950.^[42] In a customer satisfaction survey, it was found that passengers on the 950 were the most satisfied out of any Transperth bus route excluding CAT bus routes, with 94 percent satisfaction.^[43] In August 2017, a free wi-fi trial commenced for two buses used on the 950.^[44][45]

On 9 October 2016, route 960 was introduced, running betweenCurtin University andMirrabooka bus station via the Perth CBD and Edith Cowan University inMount Lawley. The 960 replaced two previous routes and was made possible by new $1.4 million bus lanes along Fitzgerald Street.^[46][47][48] Route 970 also started on the same day as the 960, running between Perth Busport and Mirrabooka bus station via Flinders Street.^[47]

On the 9th of December 2024, there were multiple High Frequency Bus Changes for the NewEllenbrook Line. The 950 & 970 got X counterparts (which are Limited Stops Services), the 950's Terminus was moved to Morley Train Station, & the 970 got extended to Landsdale (Specifically, bus stop 28114) via Mirrabooka Ave.

The CircleRoute (routes 998 and 999) are a pair of bus routes that form a circuit around Perth's inner suburbs, linking railway stations, universities, hospitals and shopping centres and making journeys without going to the Perth CBD easier.^[60] The first section of the CircleRoute was betweenFremantle station andOats Street station, launching on 16 February 1998.^[61] By March 1998, over 4,000 people were using the CircleRoute per day.^[62] The complete CircleRoute launched on 22 February 1999.^[63] By April 1999, an average of 8,500 people were using the CircleRoute per weekday.^[64] In December 2000, the CircleRoute started running seven days per week.^[65] As of March 2017, the two CircleRoute routes were the second and third busiest Transperth bus routes.^[66]

Transperth provides event services to and fromPerth Stadium (Optus Stadium) before and after events. Event bus services linkPerth Stadium bus station to the Perth CBD,Karrinyup bus station,Mirrabooka bus station,Galleria bus station,Ellenbrook town centre viaBassendean station,Kalamunda bus station viaHigh Wycombe station,Canning Vale,Curtin University bus station,Booragoon bus station viaCanning Bridge station, andFremantle station via Canning Bridge station.^[25][67] The Perth Stadium bus station is designed to move 14,300 passengers by bus within one hour after an event at the stadium out of the total stadium capacity of 60,000 people.^[67]

Transperth has fourteen bus-only stations and 37 bus-train interchange stations.^[68]

At the end of the 2022–23 financial year, there were 1,573 Transperth buses, of which 1,210 were diesel powered, 359 were powered bycompressed natural gas (CNG), and four were battery powered.^[69] These buses were manufactured byVolvo andMercedes-Benz and the bodies were manufactured byVolgren inMalaga, Western Australia. All buses purchased since 1999 have beenlow-floor and fully-wheelchair accessible.^[70][71] From 2010, Transperth has purchasedEuro 5 compliant buses, and more recently,Euro 6 compliant buses.^[70]

Transperth received its first natural gas-powered bus in June 1993.^[72] By April 1998, there were 46 gas buses in the fleet.^[73]

In January 1999, Transperth received the first of 848 new low-floor and fully-wheelchair accessible Mercedes-Benz buses, supplied byDaimlerChrysler over 10-years.^[74] It was chosen not to procure any gas buses as an "expert reference group" had determined thatEuro 2 diesel buses were better.^[75] In October 2000, a trial of three compressed natural gas (CNG) buses was announced. The trial was jointly funded by the state and federal governments at a cost of $5 million.^{[76][77][78][79]} In 2001, new planning and infrastructure ministerAlannah MacTiernan renegotiated the contract with DaimlerChrysler so that 451 CNG-powered buses could be supplied instead. The first of those buses entered service in early-2004.^[80] In April 2004, the government signed a contract withOrigin Energy to install CNG fuelling facilities at Morley andBayswater bus depots.^[81] In 2004, a trial of threehydrogen fuel cell buses commenced.^[82]

Following the end of the previous contract, Volvo was awarded the next contract, worth $400 million for 65 buses per year over ten years. For a projected total of 650 buses.^[83][84] The first of those buses was delivered in June 2011.^[85] In 2013, a trial of onediesel-electric hybrid bus for the Perth CAT routes was undertaken.^[86] The trial concluded that diesel-electric buses were not suitable and that $18.2 million would be spent to replace 32 CAT buses with Euro 6 diesel buses.^[87]

A new contract was signed in March 2019 with Volvo for the supply of 900 buses over ten years at a cost of $549 million.^[88][89]

In July 2020, the Government of Western Australia announced an electric bus trial for the Joondalup CAT routes. The trial involved four electric buses built under the existing ten-year contract that the PTA had with Volvo and Volgren. The trial involved the modification of the Joondalup bus depot for electric bus charging infrastructure and the Joondalup CAT routes were chosen as they were short routes which made them ideal for electric buses.^[90][91] The first electric bus entered service on 28 February 2022.^[92][93][94] They were manufactured in Melbourne, but the state government planned to manufacture future electric buses in Perth if the trial is successful.^[95]

In 2022, the federal government committed $125 million to building electric bus charging infrastructure around Perth.^[96] The state government committed $125 million to manufacture 130 electric buses in Perth. An initial $22 million was funded using the Perth parking levy to build charging infrastructure at Elizabeth Quay bus station and build 22 electric buses.^[97][98] The first electric Perth CAT bus entered service in September 2024. It was also announced that Malaga depot would be upgraded for $12 million to allow for electric buses.^[99][100]

The bus system is split into 11 contract areas.

From January 2020, Swan Transit has held the Claremont, Marmion, and Joondalup areas under a ten-year contract. The Joondalup contract area was previously held by Transdev.^[101][102] From October 2022, Transdev has held the Fremantle and Rockingham/Mandurah areas under a ten-year contract.^[103]

There are 20 Transperth bus depots, five of which are privately owned and the remainder are owned by the PTA. The PTA has endeavoured to replace all private depots with PTA-owned depots.^[104]

In July 2019,Mount Claremont bus depot opened, replacing the privately ownedNorth Fremantle bus depot.^[105][104] By the end of 2024, a new bus depot is planned to open atHenley Brook bus station to replace the privately ownedEllenbrook bus depot and provide for expanded services for theEllenbrook line.^[106] In September 2024, the PTA purchased a 3.27 hectares (8.1 acres) site in Bayswater for a new electric bus depot.^[107]

With 82,273,790 boardings in the year to June 2024,^[110] the Transperth bus system has the fourth highest patronage in Australia, afterSydney,Melbourne andBrisbane.^[109]

The most frequently used routes are as follows:

• Auditor General (June 1997)."Competition Reform of Transperth Bus Services: Performance Examination"(PDF).Office of the Auditor General. Retrieved20 December 2022.
• Higham, Geoffrey (2007).Marble Bar to Mandurah: A History of Passenger Rail Services in Western Australia. Rail Heritage WA.ISBN 9780959969092.

• McCarrey, L. E. (chairman) (August 1993). Report of the Independent Commission to Review Public Sector Finances: Agenda for Reform (Report). Vol. 2. Government of Western Australia. pp. 151–162.

• Bus transport in Perth, Western Australia
• History of Perth, Western Australia

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