With kids its going to be a challenge. If fortunate enough to live near your employer, schools/child care, shops and public transport you maybe OK for everyday things.
Singapore and HK are top tier when it comes to public transport.
Parramatta is reasonably well served and is a major centre, but again it depends on actual location.
If you're in parramatta you won't need a car. But if you're in a suburban area you may. Depends how suburban.
Also, normally I warn people about how our high property prices, but Hong Kong is the only place in the world where it's more expensive than Sydney, so you're good. đ
It depends on the suburb and your lifestyle but totally doable. There are also carshare programs so if you find the right area with lots of cars easily accessible, you could also try a few months without a car first and use carshare when you need to. This will give you an idea of whether you like driving there and if you need one!
You can use GoGet maybe a full day per week and itâs still cheaper than purchasing+owning a brand new equivalent car.
Iâve been surviving around North Shore/Northern Beaches area for the last year with just GoGet and my motorbike.
Iâm from singapore and find it quite difficult here without a car, especially groceries. Also trains and buses arenât as dependable and infrastructure here can be pretty bad especially when it rains. Not many shaded walkways and paths to the bus stop/train station that are fully under cover. Depending on the age of your kids, you may need a car seat for Ubers/taxi but depends on the driver as well. I ended up getting a car because it just saved me loads of time, but tolls are very expensive and avoiding the toll roads can end up taking more time. A lot of it also depends where you live with stores nearby
I order the day before for a morning slot, and specifically turn off substitutions. Started that after my first order came with a loaf of multigrain in place of raisin toast. I also didnât like their choice of meat and veg, so we get those in person.
We do an online shop once per month, and then get meat/veg/fruit and the occasional random pantry item in person. I havenât carried more than three shopping bags home in 6 months.
I also use Everyday Extra to get the monthly 10% off. Because itâs one big shop per month, we hit the $250 for free delivery and only end up paying a couple of dollars for bags.
Worth it just for the fact that I live in a second floor apartment with no lift, yet alone all the other convenience.
Ours (Boronia Park) has really gone downhill to the point we stopped using it. They use uber for delivery so the tracking is not as good. The produce isn't selected very well either.
They've improved a fair bit with that I find. I use Coles and I'm careful about which items I leave as able to be substituted. They do sub some stuff but are pretty good about giving refunds if it's not a good sub.Â
> Milkrun
Milkrun is just the Woolies delivery service using a different name/app. They bought the brand for next to nothing after the original business collapsed from pissing away venture capital whilst being wildly unprofitable.
Do no expect to find the same level of public transport than in Honk Kong.
Parramatta is well served with trains and busses, with the addition of a new tram line opening soon. If you live and work near by your home and your kids have their school near by as well, not having a car should not be a big issue. When it comes to food shopping, etc, I find it easier to have a car.
I am from Europe in one very well serve city when it comes to public transport and I have to agree with [WestOfAnfield](https://www.reddit.com/user/WestOfAnfield/) when it comes to reliable transport, etc. It is difficult not to have a car in Sydney but doable. When we were living in Marrickville, we did not need a car, but in the suburbs it is definitely a must.
Sydney is pretty car centric so it will be inconvenient to not have a car, but living in inner city areas you may be able to get away with it. But with kids it will be hard.
Yes, you can. There are trains and buses throughout Sydney. School drop-offs would be easier if you locate somewhere within walking distance to the school.
Kids will be the problem. Weekend sports, if their friends donât live near public transport, weekend activities. Unless you plan on being a weekend hermit or you can afford thousands of dollars on uber fares, it is infinitely much better having a car here.
Absolutely yes, but you might sometimes need to get an Uber. If you get yourself an ebike, or better, a cargo ebike, and then add in public transport, that can handle probably 80% of your needs. Itâs going to be a compromise obviously, but itâs certainly possible. I have neighbours that donât drive, but all their kid runs, grocery runs, and outings are done via cargo bike.
That sounds like a great idea. I hear the Australian laws are very strict regarding car seats etc.
Do you know if it is okay to carry children on a cargo bike? My kids are 2 and 4 years old.
I use my eBike for grocery runs all the time. I've got a basket on the back and can fit two full re-usable bags on there. They're also great for just generally getting around.
You'll need something a bit more heavy duty if you're moving kids, but they're honestly so damn handy.
Yeah you can definitely carry kids on an ebike. If itâs designed to handle it, then itâs fine. Something like this Yuba Kombi is 2000AUD, but can carry 2 young kids, or 3 very small kids, as well as some cargo in the front.
https://cargocycles.com.au/product/yuba-kombi/?attribute_pa_colour=yellow&utm_source=Google%20Shopping&utm_campaign=Copy%20Copy%20Google%20Merchant%20Feed&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=10428&srsltid=AfmBOoqspfg8QMZvwFYXwaradYMAhCMa5BlMwlqpaUQEWFqg3-plEp6ISyk
This thing is super customisable.
There are good Facebook groups to help with commuting by bike. They provide updates and suggest safe routes that have designated bike paths and less traffic
Youâre welcome. It does wonders for your mental health too. Getting outside and getting some exercise and some sun. Itâs a great lifestyle choice IMO. I hope it all works out regardless. Good luck mate.
I commute by eBike and it's just *fun*. Very light exercise, fresh air, a nice break between work and home. It's also faster than the bus, and car (during peak hour) and it's cheaper than both.
It's crazy to me that more people aren't doing it. I ride past people waiting at bus stops every morning on my way to the office and I feel like stopping to share the eBike gospel, but don't want to come off as a complete weirdo.
The frustration of waiting for a train or bus to arrive, and then squeezing into a seat or standing on a carriage or bus with people coughing, having speakerphone conversations, playing their music or just generally being mildly anti-social.
No getting annoyed at being stuck in traffic.
It's bliss. Even on rainy days I prefer it to being stuck on the bus.
Exactly how I feel too. That feeling of hundreds of people just pouring down the escalators and then pushing into a train, only to be sat there alongside everyone looking out the window still half asleep, while everybody else around you is dazed and tired, while they scroll through social media, cough and sneeze, and fake small pleasantries as you move aside to let people in or out, is just exhausting.
Sure, itâs not a horrific experience. Itâs more so monotonous. But itâs so much better when youâre cruising down the street on your bike with the wind on your face, and listening to the birdies (and maybe some music if youâve got a set of headphones that donât block out sounds). Since Iâve started riding my anxiety is much less noticeable, my sleeping is better, and my energy levels are way better too. Itâs a great lifestyle change.
If youâre in Parramatta is basically the second CBD in Sydney. It should be okay if you choose to live in apartments above or near the rail stations etc.
however if you opt for a home away from the rail line Iâd consider a car.
Your life would be enormously more unpleasant here without a car.
Sure you can theoretically get by, but unless you are in financial distress just get a car.
You can use goget to hire a car for a day as needed. Maybe try without your own car and see how it goes.
Beyond that you could also use carbar to rent for a few months and see if you're actually getting use out of it.
For me it's the beaches that can require driving too. Though there are many that you can cycle or take transit too. Many more you can't though
If you don't have kids I'd generally say yes. I have basically gone my whole life without a car but I have also lived inner city so transport is good and I enjoy walking up to an hour to get places without too much hesitation.
I have a car now and its been useful for caring responsibilities. It means you can be more impromptu etc.
Depends on where all the other things are. Parra is well served (I live there and don't have a car) but doing groceries for a whole family and travelling to extracurricular activities for your kids could be hard.
If it looks like you might only need a car once a month you can look into carshare like Goget and Popcar.
Iâve lived in Sydney for 18 years without a car, but always in the inner city suburbs and no kids. Itâs definitely doable, especially if you join a car share scheme (like GoGet) but it definitely depends where you are and what activities you do.
Personally, as a parent, I couldnât do without a car. But thatâs a personal opinion.
I had neighbours that donât have a car and have two kids. They live in a unit near a school, cycle everywhere, including work and daycare. But they live very central and close to transport links. They also would have late night shouting matches, unknown if this was related.
If you want a car free lifestyle you can make it work, even try it, but itâs not for everyone. I live out of the city in the burbs now and while still on the train line, would be fucked without a car.
I lived in Parra for many years and I didn't drive, granted it depends on where you need to go. It's about 35ish minutes via train to the city and there's a lot of buses. Westfield should cover most shopping needs.
Now that I moved away I technically can get by but having a car is convenient.
It will be tricky with kids though unless they go to school nearby.
Living in Parramatta, probably yes. But I would set aside some of the money you save from not buying a car for car rental, Ubers, taxis, for those occasions that public transport or walking just doesnât cut it.
Thanks everyone for the inputs. The general consensus seems to be that it is indeed required for a smooth lifestyle.
I will probably try with an ebike first and then decide from there on.
I think this is best, itâs what I did. Managed without a car for two years, then bought one secondhand and drove to the shops with my car. Now I have an e bike I donât drive at all - I do all the groceryâs using the bike basket. We were very close to selling the car however have decided to keep it for long car trips say, to Newcastle or Canberra.
Agree. Bike is faster than public transport. For short trips bike is even faster than a car. However for anything further than short commutes, car is needed. Regional trains donât have places for bikes so a real pain if you want to go anywhere further than Sydney.
It depends where you live. We live in an inner city area with a kid and only need a car for rare situations e.g if there is a crazy amount of rain or need to get to a specific event thatâs going to be inconvenient by public transport. Day to day itâs all walking or trains.
Personally I dislike driving too so have basically designed my life to make this possible!
Parramatta transport is pretty good for grocery shopping and for train access and bus access to many other areas, city included. When it comes to kids, depending on their ages it could be possible for them to catch the bus/train themselves to school and back but if they're quite young it would be best to find a place within walking distance of a school which is VERY difficult.
In Parramatta, yes. It's the second cbd in sydney. Plenty of public transport, as lots of people work there. Buying and carrying groceries might be a mission though.
If youâre living, working and kids at school all in parramatta you should be ok. It wonât be as good as HK but getting around there is ok. In fact driving through parramatta and finding parking around there is difficult.
For a Singapore-like public transport experience, aim to live close to where the âSydney Metroâ is. As fas as public transport goes anywhere, Iâd argue the Metro is top-tier. Imagine the Circle Line. Most stations link to shopping centres and also serve as bus interchanges.
Buses city-wide wonât be as good as whatâs in HK and SG.
That said, for a family of 4, private transport will be a game changer.
It depends on how much of your life is within your immediate vicinity or on transport routes.
E.g if thereâs buses to schools and youâre working in the city, public transport will work fine. But if youâre constantly having to visit other suburbs for social commitments, if you want to do day trips etc, it could be trickier. Car rentals can be crazy expensive over holiday periods.
Edit: spelling
Yes you can get by. It's not a necessity but a nice to have. Weekdays should be fine if school, daycare is nearby but weekends are a different story.
Public transport in Sydney runs on a reduced schedule on weekends and there's scheduled trackworks which are replaced by slow slow buses.
Sydney has Lotsa of parks, playground, beaches that aren't easily accessible without a car. You have to pay more for uber as children require age specific car seats till they're 7 or 8. Taxis are expensive.
2nd hand car market is good here. Can get a sub 10 yr car for around 20k. Can even get decent smaller cars around the 10-15k mark. Can resell and not lose much if you get a Honda, Toyota etc.
Tldr; possible without a car but opens up alot more options to take the family out with a car
Unless your kids go to a school in the same suburb you live or work, or along a bus or train cooridoor, then drop offs and pickups will be a nightmare.
Technology used to be a way to help us live, but now it's just an excuse for shoddy city planning.
Welcome to hell.
I've never had a licence and I live out west (further west than Parra). With an ebike everything is possible. It requires some habit changes if you're the average Aussie (e.g. going to the groceries every other day rather than once per week) but entirely doable. However you might need the occasional uber or goget I guess. But note that I'm 15 minutes from the Metro and 20 minutes from a train station by bike, it would be less viable if I didn't have such geography.
Get a car. SG and HK are bad comparables ie their train efficiency and reliability is much higher. Driving here is much nicer although the locals do not believe it can get any worse.
Choose the best school for the kids then go to that suburb. All the best!
I would say come here and decide for yourself tbh everyoneâs use case is different. Itâs totally doable without a car, occasionally getting car hire service when you need it. I managed to get by for 7 years without a car, but then my lifestyle changed so had to buy a car.
How old are your kids? Yes you can get by. Find a house (apartment actually) within a 10km radius of the CBD, find a CBD job and you can definitely get by. We didn't have one for 4 years after moving here with a 1 year old and we lived in Hornsby!! If you need a car you can hire a goget.
Groceries = if you live in parramatta close to the mall, i dont think you need a car
But you still need a car for
-Kids bday party = normally in a place that is far from train station
-Picking up kids = well it also depends how far your home to school . but normally school is not "Next door" to any train station.
Not many permanent residents in Sydney with kids will have no cars - in the long run. If you plan to stay here for the long run you probably will end up having one.
Letâs be honest. Youâll probably need a car, if for visiting mates living where public transport is poor, for the kids, for the parents, for going to places with unreliable or negligible public transport or where public transport is twice or more times the duration of a drive.
But as suggested, it depends on your circumstances, such as your work and your use case. If youâre able to WFH and live a fairly simple living in an apartment near Parramatta, St Leonards, Chatswood or where TOD is more of a thing, yeah, maybe youâll be okay. However, like the vast majority of people, you may still want a car and use it or youâll pretty much need it.
It irks me that Sydney is so car-centric and that Iâm suggesting getting a car, but itâs primarily a systemic issue beyond peopleâs behaviours, not people just wanna drive cars.
The public transportation isn't the worst here, but with kids I would definitely say you need a car for Sydney, sadly it'll be much much more convenient.
I donât drive and my mom doesnât drive and we get by just fine. Of course it takes longer to get somewhere and public transport isnât always reliable but itâs doable
Depends how close you live to the schools/shops etc
You see a lot of parents dropping their kids off on those double seater E-bikes things, or cycling with a big wheelbarrow type thing in front. Being able to do this really depends on the suburb
Personally Im beginning to think that not having a car could be the way to go as I'm trying to maximise my savings. My partner doesn't drive and uses Uber a few bit which I was always onto them about. Realistically even if she ubers a few times a week it's probably still cheaper than owning and running a car when you consider: cost, Rego, insurance, petrol, tolls, repairs etc.
Sydney's got great and cheap public transport if you can access it which will take you up the coast, to the mountains etc so there'll always be somewhere to take the family
No. If youâre going from suburb to suburb itâs a major PITA without a car. Buses are shit west of Parramatta. Trains to the city from Parramatta are pretty good however, and with the new metro itâll be even better. But other than the direct line to the CBD itâs not great.
Depends:
- where are you planning to live?
- where are you planning to work?
- do you do any extracurricular activities (sport, workshop, art, etc.)?
- where are your kids going to school?
- do your kids do extracurricular activities (sport, art, languages, etc)?
For me, I could maybe survive with no car for work and getting kids to school. But kids sports, my sport and kids other activities make it near impossible to survive without a car.
Itâs 2am. Your kid is sick enough to need to see a doctor, but not sick enough to justify calling an ambulance. What do you do? You canât call an Uber, they donât have car seats. Thereâs no public transport at that time of the morning. You gonna walk your sick kid to Westmead? You gonna try strap them onto a bike, while theyâre throwing up or shitting themselves?
Sorry, not doable as a parent.
Fair point but have you tried going anywhere in Sydney ever.
In fact I would say that Sydney isnât a public transport city and it isnât a car city either. Just donât live here
With kids its going to be a challenge. If fortunate enough to live near your employer, schools/child care, shops and public transport you maybe OK for everyday things. Singapore and HK are top tier when it comes to public transport. Parramatta is reasonably well served and is a major centre, but again it depends on actual location.
If you're in parramatta you won't need a car. But if you're in a suburban area you may. Depends how suburban. Also, normally I warn people about how our high property prices, but Hong Kong is the only place in the world where it's more expensive than Sydney, so you're good. đ
It depends on the suburb and your lifestyle but totally doable. There are also carshare programs so if you find the right area with lots of cars easily accessible, you could also try a few months without a car first and use carshare when you need to. This will give you an idea of whether you like driving there and if you need one!
You can use GoGet maybe a full day per week and itâs still cheaper than purchasing+owning a brand new equivalent car. Iâve been surviving around North Shore/Northern Beaches area for the last year with just GoGet and my motorbike.
Who buys a brand new car though?
Enough people to make used cars a thing.
there's too many people buying brand new cars, the used car market is a buyer's market
Low level trollingÂ
I got a new new car in 2020 (Kia hatchback) as the same car but used and a couple of years older with 20K on the odo was only about $1K less.
Yeah GoGet is pretty good for 1-2hrs or more and cheap enough
Iâm from singapore and find it quite difficult here without a car, especially groceries. Also trains and buses arenât as dependable and infrastructure here can be pretty bad especially when it rains. Not many shaded walkways and paths to the bus stop/train station that are fully under cover. Depending on the age of your kids, you may need a car seat for Ubers/taxi but depends on the driver as well. I ended up getting a car because it just saved me loads of time, but tolls are very expensive and avoiding the toll roads can end up taking more time. A lot of it also depends where you live with stores nearby
Groceries are probably the easiest part because you can get everything delivered. I haven't been to a grocery store in such a long time.
Ymmv but I had nothing but problems with delivery - half of every order was swapped and often to something very different
I order the day before for a morning slot, and specifically turn off substitutions. Started that after my first order came with a loaf of multigrain in place of raisin toast. I also didnât like their choice of meat and veg, so we get those in person. We do an online shop once per month, and then get meat/veg/fruit and the occasional random pantry item in person. I havenât carried more than three shopping bags home in 6 months. I also use Everyday Extra to get the monthly 10% off. Because itâs one big shop per month, we hit the $250 for free delivery and only end up paying a couple of dollars for bags. Worth it just for the fact that I live in a second floor apartment with no lift, yet alone all the other convenience.
Harris Farm is great for fresh produce deliveries
Ours (Boronia Park) has really gone downhill to the point we stopped using it. They use uber for delivery so the tracking is not as good. The produce isn't selected very well either.
They've improved a fair bit with that I find. I use Coles and I'm careful about which items I leave as able to be substituted. They do sub some stuff but are pretty good about giving refunds if it's not a good sub.Â
Thatâs the dream honestly. Milkrun is good in Sydney
Coles and Woolies both offer home delivery too. Milkrun is good when you need something in 20 mins, but otherwise overpriced.
> Milkrun Milkrun is just the Woolies delivery service using a different name/app. They bought the brand for next to nothing after the original business collapsed from pissing away venture capital whilst being wildly unprofitable.
Oh TIL, ty
Do no expect to find the same level of public transport than in Honk Kong. Parramatta is well served with trains and busses, with the addition of a new tram line opening soon. If you live and work near by your home and your kids have their school near by as well, not having a car should not be a big issue. When it comes to food shopping, etc, I find it easier to have a car. I am from Europe in one very well serve city when it comes to public transport and I have to agree with [WestOfAnfield](https://www.reddit.com/user/WestOfAnfield/) when it comes to reliable transport, etc. It is difficult not to have a car in Sydney but doable. When we were living in Marrickville, we did not need a car, but in the suburbs it is definitely a must.
Sydney is pretty car centric so it will be inconvenient to not have a car, but living in inner city areas you may be able to get away with it. But with kids it will be hard.
Yes, you can. There are trains and buses throughout Sydney. School drop-offs would be easier if you locate somewhere within walking distance to the school.
And then kids get involved in sport, and then you realise how inconvenient Sydney is without a car.
But it's great for a community. Plenty of the kids around me car pool for sports.
Kinda nice though, thereâs so many ovals and parks, itâs inconvenient to get to even a small amount of them..Â
There are lots of families in Parramatta without a car. You can walk to Westfield, the library the pool ect You will be fine.
Kids will be the problem. Weekend sports, if their friends donât live near public transport, weekend activities. Unless you plan on being a weekend hermit or you can afford thousands of dollars on uber fares, it is infinitely much better having a car here.
Yes, been living here car free for years. Use GoGet occasionally and itâs fine. Check out Lug + Carrie for toting the little ones around!
Absolutely yes, but you might sometimes need to get an Uber. If you get yourself an ebike, or better, a cargo ebike, and then add in public transport, that can handle probably 80% of your needs. Itâs going to be a compromise obviously, but itâs certainly possible. I have neighbours that donât drive, but all their kid runs, grocery runs, and outings are done via cargo bike.
That sounds like a great idea. I hear the Australian laws are very strict regarding car seats etc. Do you know if it is okay to carry children on a cargo bike? My kids are 2 and 4 years old.
I use my eBike for grocery runs all the time. I've got a basket on the back and can fit two full re-usable bags on there. They're also great for just generally getting around. You'll need something a bit more heavy duty if you're moving kids, but they're honestly so damn handy.
Yeah you can definitely carry kids on an ebike. If itâs designed to handle it, then itâs fine. Something like this Yuba Kombi is 2000AUD, but can carry 2 young kids, or 3 very small kids, as well as some cargo in the front. https://cargocycles.com.au/product/yuba-kombi/?attribute_pa_colour=yellow&utm_source=Google%20Shopping&utm_campaign=Copy%20Copy%20Google%20Merchant%20Feed&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=10428&srsltid=AfmBOoqspfg8QMZvwFYXwaradYMAhCMa5BlMwlqpaUQEWFqg3-plEp6ISyk This thing is super customisable.
That's super helpful. Thanks.
There are good Facebook groups to help with commuting by bike. They provide updates and suggest safe routes that have designated bike paths and less traffic
Youâre welcome. It does wonders for your mental health too. Getting outside and getting some exercise and some sun. Itâs a great lifestyle choice IMO. I hope it all works out regardless. Good luck mate.
I commute by eBike and it's just *fun*. Very light exercise, fresh air, a nice break between work and home. It's also faster than the bus, and car (during peak hour) and it's cheaper than both. It's crazy to me that more people aren't doing it. I ride past people waiting at bus stops every morning on my way to the office and I feel like stopping to share the eBike gospel, but don't want to come off as a complete weirdo.
Haha same here. Itâs such a great feeling. You get to work feeling energised and happy. Those endorphins do wonders for you!
The frustration of waiting for a train or bus to arrive, and then squeezing into a seat or standing on a carriage or bus with people coughing, having speakerphone conversations, playing their music or just generally being mildly anti-social. No getting annoyed at being stuck in traffic. It's bliss. Even on rainy days I prefer it to being stuck on the bus.
Exactly how I feel too. That feeling of hundreds of people just pouring down the escalators and then pushing into a train, only to be sat there alongside everyone looking out the window still half asleep, while everybody else around you is dazed and tired, while they scroll through social media, cough and sneeze, and fake small pleasantries as you move aside to let people in or out, is just exhausting. Sure, itâs not a horrific experience. Itâs more so monotonous. But itâs so much better when youâre cruising down the street on your bike with the wind on your face, and listening to the birdies (and maybe some music if youâve got a set of headphones that donât block out sounds). Since Iâve started riding my anxiety is much less noticeable, my sleeping is better, and my energy levels are way better too. Itâs a great lifestyle change.
I got the eBike during covid to stay off public transport for all of the above reasons, no regrets!
If youâre in Parramatta is basically the second CBD in Sydney. It should be okay if you choose to live in apartments above or near the rail stations etc. however if you opt for a home away from the rail line Iâd consider a car.
Yes. There is actually a walkability score for Subarbs. U should check it out,
Your life would be enormously more unpleasant here without a car. Sure you can theoretically get by, but unless you are in financial distress just get a car.
You can use goget to hire a car for a day as needed. Maybe try without your own car and see how it goes. Beyond that you could also use carbar to rent for a few months and see if you're actually getting use out of it. For me it's the beaches that can require driving too. Though there are many that you can cycle or take transit too. Many more you can't though
You can but it's pretty limiting with children unless you like to spend half your weekend in transit between places.
If you don't have kids I'd generally say yes. I have basically gone my whole life without a car but I have also lived inner city so transport is good and I enjoy walking up to an hour to get places without too much hesitation. I have a car now and its been useful for caring responsibilities. It means you can be more impromptu etc.
Depends on where all the other things are. Parra is well served (I live there and don't have a car) but doing groceries for a whole family and travelling to extracurricular activities for your kids could be hard. If it looks like you might only need a car once a month you can look into carshare like Goget and Popcar.
Iâve lived in Sydney for 18 years without a car, but always in the inner city suburbs and no kids. Itâs definitely doable, especially if you join a car share scheme (like GoGet) but it definitely depends where you are and what activities you do.
Personally, as a parent, I couldnât do without a car. But thatâs a personal opinion. I had neighbours that donât have a car and have two kids. They live in a unit near a school, cycle everywhere, including work and daycare. But they live very central and close to transport links. They also would have late night shouting matches, unknown if this was related. If you want a car free lifestyle you can make it work, even try it, but itâs not for everyone. I live out of the city in the burbs now and while still on the train line, would be fucked without a car.
I lived in Parra for many years and I didn't drive, granted it depends on where you need to go. It's about 35ish minutes via train to the city and there's a lot of buses. Westfield should cover most shopping needs. Now that I moved away I technically can get by but having a car is convenient. It will be tricky with kids though unless they go to school nearby.
Living in Parramatta, probably yes. But I would set aside some of the money you save from not buying a car for car rental, Ubers, taxis, for those occasions that public transport or walking just doesnât cut it.
You will be an outlier. Doable but pretty hard unless you choose your location very carefully. Kids will be biggest challenge.
Thanks everyone for the inputs. The general consensus seems to be that it is indeed required for a smooth lifestyle. I will probably try with an ebike first and then decide from there on.
I think this is best, itâs what I did. Managed without a car for two years, then bought one secondhand and drove to the shops with my car. Now I have an e bike I donât drive at all - I do all the groceryâs using the bike basket. We were very close to selling the car however have decided to keep it for long car trips say, to Newcastle or Canberra.
I literally live in the city and couldnât imagine getting by without a car with kids. Youâd waste half your life waiting for public transport
Agree. Bike is faster than public transport. For short trips bike is even faster than a car. However for anything further than short commutes, car is needed. Regional trains donât have places for bikes so a real pain if you want to go anywhere further than Sydney.
It depends where you live. We live in an inner city area with a kid and only need a car for rare situations e.g if there is a crazy amount of rain or need to get to a specific event thatâs going to be inconvenient by public transport. Day to day itâs all walking or trains. Personally I dislike driving too so have basically designed my life to make this possible!
Parramatta transport is pretty good for grocery shopping and for train access and bus access to many other areas, city included. When it comes to kids, depending on their ages it could be possible for them to catch the bus/train themselves to school and back but if they're quite young it would be best to find a place within walking distance of a school which is VERY difficult.
In Parramatta, yes. It's the second cbd in sydney. Plenty of public transport, as lots of people work there. Buying and carrying groceries might be a mission though.
If youâre living, working and kids at school all in parramatta you should be ok. It wonât be as good as HK but getting around there is ok. In fact driving through parramatta and finding parking around there is difficult.
If its just parra and near station all good.
For a Singapore-like public transport experience, aim to live close to where the âSydney Metroâ is. As fas as public transport goes anywhere, Iâd argue the Metro is top-tier. Imagine the Circle Line. Most stations link to shopping centres and also serve as bus interchanges. Buses city-wide wonât be as good as whatâs in HK and SG. That said, for a family of 4, private transport will be a game changer.
It depends on how much of your life is within your immediate vicinity or on transport routes. E.g if thereâs buses to schools and youâre working in the city, public transport will work fine. But if youâre constantly having to visit other suburbs for social commitments, if you want to do day trips etc, it could be trickier. Car rentals can be crazy expensive over holiday periods. Edit: spelling
Are you living in Parramatta because you work there?
Yes you can get by. It's not a necessity but a nice to have. Weekdays should be fine if school, daycare is nearby but weekends are a different story. Public transport in Sydney runs on a reduced schedule on weekends and there's scheduled trackworks which are replaced by slow slow buses. Sydney has Lotsa of parks, playground, beaches that aren't easily accessible without a car. You have to pay more for uber as children require age specific car seats till they're 7 or 8. Taxis are expensive. 2nd hand car market is good here. Can get a sub 10 yr car for around 20k. Can even get decent smaller cars around the 10-15k mark. Can resell and not lose much if you get a Honda, Toyota etc. Tldr; possible without a car but opens up alot more options to take the family out with a car
Nope, catching a bus in the rain with kids would be sheer misery
Short answer is no. A family of 4 cannot get by without a car no matter where you live.
Unless your kids go to a school in the same suburb you live or work, or along a bus or train cooridoor, then drop offs and pickups will be a nightmare. Technology used to be a way to help us live, but now it's just an excuse for shoddy city planning. Welcome to hell.
Sydney, concrete dumpster where cunts are made of theres nothing u can do
I've never had a licence and I live out west (further west than Parra). With an ebike everything is possible. It requires some habit changes if you're the average Aussie (e.g. going to the groceries every other day rather than once per week) but entirely doable. However you might need the occasional uber or goget I guess. But note that I'm 15 minutes from the Metro and 20 minutes from a train station by bike, it would be less viable if I didn't have such geography.
Get a car. SG and HK are bad comparables ie their train efficiency and reliability is much higher. Driving here is much nicer although the locals do not believe it can get any worse. Choose the best school for the kids then go to that suburb. All the best!
I would say come here and decide for yourself tbh everyoneâs use case is different. Itâs totally doable without a car, occasionally getting car hire service when you need it. I managed to get by for 7 years without a car, but then my lifestyle changed so had to buy a car.
How old are your kids? Yes you can get by. Find a house (apartment actually) within a 10km radius of the CBD, find a CBD job and you can definitely get by. We didn't have one for 4 years after moving here with a 1 year old and we lived in Hornsby!! If you need a car you can hire a goget.
Groceries = if you live in parramatta close to the mall, i dont think you need a car But you still need a car for -Kids bday party = normally in a place that is far from train station -Picking up kids = well it also depends how far your home to school . but normally school is not "Next door" to any train station.
Not many permanent residents in Sydney with kids will have no cars - in the long run. If you plan to stay here for the long run you probably will end up having one.
Letâs be honest. Youâll probably need a car, if for visiting mates living where public transport is poor, for the kids, for the parents, for going to places with unreliable or negligible public transport or where public transport is twice or more times the duration of a drive. But as suggested, it depends on your circumstances, such as your work and your use case. If youâre able to WFH and live a fairly simple living in an apartment near Parramatta, St Leonards, Chatswood or where TOD is more of a thing, yeah, maybe youâll be okay. However, like the vast majority of people, you may still want a car and use it or youâll pretty much need it. It irks me that Sydney is so car-centric and that Iâm suggesting getting a car, but itâs primarily a systemic issue beyond peopleâs behaviours, not people just wanna drive cars.
The public transportation isn't the worst here, but with kids I would definitely say you need a car for Sydney, sadly it'll be much much more convenient.
I donât drive and my mom doesnât drive and we get by just fine. Of course it takes longer to get somewhere and public transport isnât always reliable but itâs doable
Depends how close you live to the schools/shops etc You see a lot of parents dropping their kids off on those double seater E-bikes things, or cycling with a big wheelbarrow type thing in front. Being able to do this really depends on the suburb Personally Im beginning to think that not having a car could be the way to go as I'm trying to maximise my savings. My partner doesn't drive and uses Uber a few bit which I was always onto them about. Realistically even if she ubers a few times a week it's probably still cheaper than owning and running a car when you consider: cost, Rego, insurance, petrol, tolls, repairs etc. Sydney's got great and cheap public transport if you can access it which will take you up the coast, to the mountains etc so there'll always be somewhere to take the family
No. If youâre going from suburb to suburb itâs a major PITA without a car. Buses are shit west of Parramatta. Trains to the city from Parramatta are pretty good however, and with the new metro itâll be even better. But other than the direct line to the CBD itâs not great.
Depends: - where are you planning to live? - where are you planning to work? - do you do any extracurricular activities (sport, workshop, art, etc.)? - where are your kids going to school? - do your kids do extracurricular activities (sport, art, languages, etc)? For me, I could maybe survive with no car for work and getting kids to school. But kids sports, my sport and kids other activities make it near impossible to survive without a car.
Itâs 2am. Your kid is sick enough to need to see a doctor, but not sick enough to justify calling an ambulance. What do you do? You canât call an Uber, they donât have car seats. Thereâs no public transport at that time of the morning. You gonna walk your sick kid to Westmead? You gonna try strap them onto a bike, while theyâre throwing up or shitting themselves? Sorry, not doable as a parent.
I wouldnât recommend it Try Melbourne instead
Have you tried to go anywhere in Melbourne on a Sunday morning?
Fair point but have you tried going anywhere in Sydney ever. In fact I would say that Sydney isnât a public transport city and it isnât a car city either. Just donât live here