The Best & Worst Suburbs for Public Transport in Sydney
See the best suburbs for public transport in Sydney — scored across 781 suburbs using real Opal journey times, weekly fare costs, and network connectivity. The gap between top and bottom is bigger than you'd think.
How the score works
Each suburb is scored 0–100 based on three equally weighted factors: journey quality (travel time to key destinations, penalising waits and transfers), cost efficiency (weekly Opal spend including caps), and connectivity (how many destinations are reachable and with how many transfers). Full methodology →
🏆 Top 10 Best Connected Suburbs
These suburbs sit at the top of Sydney's 781-suburb ranking — excellent journey times, low weekly Opal costs, and strong multi-destination connectivity.
What makes them great
The top performers cluster around the CBD rail network. They have easy access to multiple train stations and metro line connections, even at peak hours. Interestingly, it's not the eastern suburbs or the north shore that top the list. Despite their reputation, the strongest transport links go to inner-city suburbs like Surry Hills, Chippendale and Ultimo. Overlapping bus and rail coverage there keeps both journey times and weekly costs low.
| Rank | Suburb | Score | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | #1 of 781 suburbs |
92.7 | |
| #2 | #2 of 781 suburbs |
86.7 | |
| #3 | #3 of 781 suburbs |
86.6 | |
| #4 | #4 of 781 suburbs |
86.5 | |
| #5 | #5 of 781 suburbs |
85.9 | |
| #6 | #6 of 781 suburbs |
85.8 | |
| #7 | #7 of 781 suburbs |
84.2 | |
| #8 | #8 of 781 suburbs |
83.6 | |
| #9 | #9 of 781 suburbs |
83.5 | |
| #10 | #10 of 781 suburbs |
83.5 |
⚠️ Bottom 10 Worst Connected Suburbs
These suburbs sit at the bottom of Sydney's rankings — long journey times, high per-trip costs, and very limited destinations reachable without multiple transfers.
Why they score so low
The worst-connected suburbs are almost all Hawkesbury River ferry communities and Blue Mountains fringe areas on Sydney's western edge. These places have no rail access and infrequent or no bus services. Reaching central Sydney by public transport can take 2–3 hours. Maldon (score: 34.6) sits at the very bottom. Morning Bay and Lovett Bay — accessible mainly by private boat — sit just above it.
| Rank | Suburb | Score | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| #781 | Last of 781 suburbs |
34.6 | |
| #780 | #780 of 781 suburbs |
35.4 | |
| #779 | #779 of 781 suburbs |
37.2 | |
| #778 | #778 of 781 suburbs |
38.2 | |
| #777 | #777 of 781 suburbs |
38.8 | |
| #776 | #776 of 781 suburbs |
38.8 | |
| #775 | #775 of 781 suburbs |
38.9 | |
| #774 | #774 of 781 suburbs |
39.7 | |
| #773 | #773 of 781 suburbs |
41.3 | |
| #772 | #772 of 781 suburbs |
41.9 |
Find your suburb's score
Search any of Sydney's 781 suburbs to see its full PT report — journey times, weekly Opal costs, and a full connectivity map.