Public Transport Score Explained

The gettinthr public transport score gives every suburb in Sydney and Melbourne a single number between 0 and 100. It's designed to make it easy to compare suburbs objectively — whether you're a commuter choosing where to live, a property researcher analysing a market, or a real estate agent advising a buyer.

The score is a composite of three equally weighted components, each measuring a different dimension of public transport quality.

The Three Components

Journey Quality (45%)

Journey Quality measures how long it actually takes to get from a suburb to key destinations across the city. We don't just measure raw travel time — we calculate effective travel time, which includes waiting time at stops, interchange time between services, and a penalty for journeys requiring multiple transfers.

A suburb that can reach the CBD in 20 minutes with a direct train scores significantly higher than one that requires 20 minutes of travel plus a 10-minute wait for a connecting bus. This reflects the real-world experience of commuting, not just the timetable.

Cost Efficiency (30%)

Cost Efficiency scores how much a typical commute costs per week using actual Opal and Myki fare data sourced from publicly available GTFS feeds. This component accounts for the Opal weekly travel cap ($50 for Sydney) — suburbs where commuters hit the cap mid-week effectively receive free travel for the remainder of the week, which improves their cost score.

A suburb with a $5 weekly commute cost scores near 100 on cost efficiency. A suburb where commuters spend the maximum $50 per week scores lower, though still benefits from the cap preventing costs from going higher.

Connectivity (25%)

Connectivity measures how many different destinations a commuter can realistically reach from a suburb using public transport. We count the number of destinations reachable within a reasonable travel time, then weight that count by how many transfers are required — direct connections score higher than journeys requiring two or three changes.

This component rewards suburbs that are genuinely well-served by the network, not just suburbs that happen to be close to one major line.

Score Ranges

Real Suburb Examples

To illustrate how the three components combine into a final score, here are four real Sydney suburbs at different points on the scale.

Data Sources

The gettinthr score is built on publicly available GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) data published by Transport for NSW and Public Transport Victoria. GTFS is the standard format used globally for public transport timetables and stop locations. Opal and Myki fare data is sourced from publicly available fare schedules.

Scores are recalculated periodically as timetable and fare data is updated. The score reflects typical weekday commuting patterns and does not account for weekend timetables, which are generally less frequent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Use This Data

Every Sydney and Melbourne suburb has a full public transport report on gettinthr — including its composite score, component breakdown, journey times to key destinations, weekly Myki and Opal cost estimates, and a connectivity map showing reachable destinations.

The suburb rankings page shows the top 10 best connected suburbs in both cities. You can also search any suburb directly for its full report.