Step 1: Land in Perth! Step 2: Figure out how to get from Point A to Point B!

You can’t forever use Uber or Didi to get to uni or to do some shopping. From passenger royalty to regular commuter, student life is just not complete without a daily commute. All good and lucky if you know how to drive and have a car, but finding parking can be a nightmare, and some car parks have horrific rates…

You’re going to say we’re “biased” when we say this, but it’s super helpful to be near transport hubs when you live at Campus Perth. So, you should make the most of it!

SmartRider: Tap, Tap, and Away We Go!

One magic word: discount!

To be more exact, as a student you get a concession rate, so your wallet will only feel a light tap whenever you have to load your SmartRider card.

You can get your SmartRider and fill-out a concession form at Perth Busport or check out Transperth’s page on Tertiary SmartRiders. You might be able to get your SmartRider sorted when you’re at uni as well, especially during Orientation Week!

Trust us when we say: You’ll thank us for telling you to get a SmartRider when exam week comes around. Every minute counts when you’ve snoozed all your alarms, and you can’t spend those minutes finding spare change or buying tickets to hop on your bus or train to uni!

Bus 3, 2, Which One?!

If you’re directionally challenged, the number of bus routes that flood the screens in the busport can get confusing. It gets even more confusing when you realise some buses have the exact same number but go in totally opposite directions. Instead of heading to Curtin University, you could end up in Mirabooka…

Save yourself the trouble and download Transperth, the app created by the people at Transperth, part of the Public Transport Authority.

The app’s pretty simple to use. You can save important locations like your favourite cafe or bar (and of course your school’s address). And you can save multiple commute routes like “Getting to Uni from Campus Perth” or even… “Getting to Uni from The Club.”

Now picture this: You’re trying to get to uni on your own and you’re at the busport or train station.

You’re a bit too shy to ask one of the Transperth staff for help, so you open up your Transperth app. You type in where you are (Perth Busport) and where you want to go (Curtin University).

And voilà! It tells you that you need to take the 960 Bus in Zone B. You look at the signs and notice you’re in Zone A, so you move to Zone B.

And that’s how you make sure you don’t end up in Mirabooka by accident! Transperth has other features that we’d love to tell you about, but some things are better left for you to discover (like discovering the perfect playlist for your commute)!

Can You Say Map?

Have a look at what’s near Campus Perth! Shops, restaurants, cafes, parks — all the usual stuff. But did you know we’re also near a stadium, a recycling centre, and some museums?

You’ll never know unless you walk around and explore or open up a map! It’s not that hard to get around Perth if you know where the nearest bus stop is. The bus stop icons are easy to spot on Google Maps. See how many bus stops you can spot in this snippet:

After opening up a map, you might realise there’s a bus stop that’s way closer to your uni, or to the specialised shop that stocks your fave matcha powder or coffee beans!

Gotta be honest though, some places in Perth just don’t have any bus stops or train stations nearby… And if you really want to go there, booking an Uber or a Didi becomes a must — unless it’s your leg day and you’re happy to walk for 30 minutes.

You can still cut down costs by hopping on a bus or train and getting as close as you can to your destination, then booking that Uber or Didi. Instead of Point A to Point B, you’ll just be doing Point A to Point B to Point C (if that makes sense)!

#CampusBuddy

Remember during field trips when the teachers would say: “Okay, pair up and find a buddy!”

The buddy system is still very useful in student life! You could find your buddy (or buddies) at uni, or you might even find them at Campus Perth during one of our social events (*cough* check out our event calendars!)

There’s just something extra special about being in the same building as the people in your social circle or support system:

• You can go to uni together
• You can go shopping together
• You can carry all the stuff you bought from Kmart together
• You can do spontaneous Maccas runs together
• You can get lost together
• You can split an Uber/Didi to find your way back to Campus Perth

Again, you’re going to say we’re “biased,” but Campus Perth is a great place to help you get from Point A to Point B — and find a buddy too!

Hope this guide helps you feel a little more confident getting around Perth! It might seem overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be navigating the city like a pro in no time :-)

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