Bus Australia

Covering an area of about 7.7 M square kilometers, Australia is an enormous country. Traveling by bus in Australia is, along with flying, the most common way of getting around the country. Due to its size, travelling between certain cities can take quite some time. Nevertheless, there are regular daily (or in worst cases weekly) buses between the largest Australian cities. On the other hand, the train network is not as extensive as bus transport. And although flying is a common way of getting around, it’s still somewhat more expensive than taking a bus. The latest research estimates that the coach sector in Australia (long distance buses, bus tours, charters) transport over 1.5 million domestic passengers each year.

Intercity buses in Australia

As mentioned above, Australia is a huge country, consisting of six states. Therefore, it’s important to distinguish terms like intercity bus and interstate bus. Interstate buses refer to the ones driving from one Australian state to another, while intercity buses drive between cities in the same state. Basically there are three companies handling long distance interstate bus lines. However, in most cases travelers end up using Greyhound services, as they have the largest bus network. In some cases bus companies offer night buses on these long distance routes. Even though there are no sleeper buses available, there are regular 15 to 30-minute breaks, usually taking place at resting areas. Interstate buses are generally in good condition, usually equipped with WIFI, toilet, in-seat USB chargers, reclining seats and air conditioning. 

As for the intercity bus lines, each Australian state has several bus companies offering regular daily departures. In most cases buses depart from the state capital, and leave for other towns. Of course, not all buses have a starting point in the state capital; there are also buses connecting smaller cities and towns. 

NOTE: 

• In larger cities, buses arrive at designated bus stations, however in smaller towns they might arrive at smaller bus interchange sites.
• When travelling on night buses, it’s recommended to bring some warm clothes or a blanket, as it can get pretty cold in the evening and at night. 
• When travelling with interstate buses, food is not usually available to buy on board, but you can bring your own of course.

Timetable and tickets

Timetables for the majority of intercity and interstate routes can be found online, as well as at the bus stations in larger cities. It is recommended to check the timetable beforehand, as COVID-19 pandemic altered many of the departures offered by various companies. Being a technologically advanced people, Aussies usually buy their bus tickets online. Tickets can also be bought at bus stations, but note that prices might not be the same as when buying them online. 

NOTE: 

• Depending on the company, you can benefit by buying early bird and two-way tickets
• On some routes there are special discounts for students and pensioners
• Bringing extra luggage and / or bikes can result in additional charges

Domestic bus routes

Being a continent-country, all the bus routes in Australia are, of course, domestic. Majority of bus lines are focused on coastal cities and state capitals of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. Probably the most popular bus route is the one from Melbourne to Sydney. Trip duration with buses can take anywhere from a few hours to an entire day, especially when going to remote destinations in Western Australia or Northern Territory. Below we have listed the most popular intercity and interstate bus routes. If your desired route is not on the list, you can use the search form above to find other travel combinations.

Sydney to Byron Bay	Sydney to Coffs Harbour	Melbourne to Canberra
Melbourne to Sydney	Brisbane to Townsville	Brisbane to Sydney
Canberra to Sydney	Gladstone to Rockhampton	Cairns to Rockhampton

Bus from the airports

Australia has dozens of airports offering scheduled commercial flights. The largest and most important Australian airports have well-organized public transportation to their respective cities. In most cases, passengers can use public transportation (buses) to get there. At smaller airports where public transport is not available, there are dedicated shuttle bus companies with departures to the cities. Airports in larger Australian cities like Sydney or Brisbane also have trains driving to and from the airports. Of course, there are also taxis and door-to-door services available. In general, getting to the nearby city from the airport using public buses or airport shuttles is a relatively easy and affordable option.

Bus companies in Australia

There are over 2000 registered bus companies in Australia. As mentioned before, three of them handle the majority of interstate lines; Greyhound, Firefly Express and Premier Motor Service. However, there is a significant number of smaller bus companies operating intercity and urban lines for each of the six Australia states. In addition to providing scheduled bus services, some companies also serve as school and charter bus companies. There are also companies offering coach tours, bus rentals and similar. Below we have listed some of the most important bus companies in Australia.

Airbus Shuttle	Airport Bus Dandenong	Brisbane Bus Lines
Broadmeadows Bus	Bus Link	Bus Queensland
Busabout	Busways	Caboolture Bus Lines
CDC NSW	CDC Victoria	Coastal Liner
Cranbourne Transit	Derwent Valley Link	Dion’s Bus
Firefly Express	Forest Coachlines	Greyhound Australia
Gull Geelong	Hornibrook Bus Lines	Integrity Coach Lines
Interline Bus	Kangaroo Bus Lines	Kastoria Bus
KST Airporter	Link SA	Maianbar Bundeena
Manions Coaches	Martyrs	McKenzie’s
Merseylink	Metro Tasmania	Moonee Valley Bus
Moreland Bus	Mt Gravatt Coaches	Newcastle Transport
Panorama Coaches	Path Transit	Port Stephens Coaches
Premier Charters	Premier Illawarra	Premier Transport
Punchbowl Bus	Red Bus Services	Rover Coaches
Ryans Bus	Sid Fogg’s Coaches	Skybus
South East Airport Shuttle	Southern Cross Transit	Southlink
Sunbury Coaches	Swan Transit	Thompson Bus Services
Transborder Express	Transdev Brisbane	Transdev Melbourne
Transdev NSW	Transdev WA	Travel North
TSA Transit Systems	V/Line	Ventura Bus

Bus stations Australia

Bus stations in Australia are sometimes referred to as coach terminals. Every large city has at least one bus station, while some cities like Melbourne and Sydney have multiple. Many of the smaller towns don’t have a bus station, but rather a bus stop indicating where passengers can get on board. Below we have listed some of the most popular bus stations in Australia. Click on each station name to get more information about it.

Melbourne	Sydney	Canberra
Adelaide	Perth	Brisbane
Darwin	Hobart	Gold Coast

Hire a coach in Australia

Bus rental in Australia is another popular way of getting around the country, especially when traveling as a part of a larger group. There are numerous companies offering coaches to rent, with the driver on board of course. These companies are usually the same ones which have organized bus tours to most popular Australian destinations like national parks or beach resorts. The quality of buses depends on the company, however most of them should be equipped with basic amenities like AC and toilet, especially when travelling multiple days.  

Public transport in Australia

It is estimated that in a three-month period over 12 million people aged 14+ use Australian public transportation. With the exception of Darwin, all larger Australian cities have an extensive multimodal transport system which includes buses, commuter rail, and in some cases watercrafts. Each city has its own company which handles public transportation. As for the public buses, they connect the greater city area and suburbs with the city centers (CBD). Traveling with public transportation is generally affordable and you can save some extra money by purchasing public transport passes. That could be a good idea if you’re staying a few days in the city. Tickets and passes can be bought from fare machines at bus stations, train stations, at major interchanges, and of course online. Below is the list of the companies handling public transport in each city.

• Adelaide Metro (Adelaide)
• TransLink (Brisbane)
• Transport Canberra (Canberra)
• Darwinbus (Darwin)
• Translink (Gold Coast)
• Metro Tasmania (Hobart)
• PTV (Melbourne)
• Newcastle Transport (Newcastle)
• Transperth (Perth)
• Transport for NSW (Sydney)

FAQ Bus Australia

For bus companies

If you operate an Australian bus company and would like to be included in this list, you are more than welcome to contact us, we also can offer you the access to an easy platform for managing bus rentals in Australia.