Fare and trip times set for direct shuttle link to Sydney’s new airport

Direct shuttle bus services from Sydney’s new international airport in the outer west to the city will cost passengers $55 for a one-way journey, taking between 45 minutes and an hour depending on traffic congestion.

Less than a month before Western Sydney International Airport opens to passengers, ticket prices for the privately operated shuttle buses linking the new aviation hub to Parramatta, Central Station in the CBD and Sydney Airport at Mascot have been released.

The cost of a Super Shuttle trip for an adult between the new airport and Central Station is $55 one way and $80 return, while a child one-way is $25 or $40 return. Central Station is about a 58-kilometre drive from the new airport.

A one-way adult fare for a shuttle bus from the new airport to Kingsford Smith Airport at Mascot via the CBD is $65 – and a child $30 – for a trip that will take between an hour and 75 minutes. Return is $90 for an adult and $45 for a child.

The other direct shuttle service from Western Sydney Airport to the Parramatta CBD will cost an adult $25 for a one-way trip, which is expected to take between 30 and 45 minutes, or $45 return. A child is $10 one way, and $15 return.

With the opening of a multibillion-dollar metro rail line to the new airport delayed until at least December next year, the NSW government will run free bus services every 30 minutes between the airport terminal and St Marys, where passengers can switch to double-deck trains.

For arriving air passengers, a bus to St Marys will take about 30 minutes, while an onward trip to Central Station on a train is about 53 minutes. The train fare – which is heavily subsidised by taxpayers – is $8.28 for an adult travelling during peak periods, or $5.79 off-peak.

The direct services by Super Shuttle, which is owned by bus and coach charter company NSBC, will start on October 25, the same day Jetstar will become the first airline to begin passenger flights to the new airport, followed by Air New Zealand a day later.

In Melbourne, a 22-kilometre journey by SkyBus from Tullamarine Airport to the CBD costs $25.90 one-way for an adult, or $43.40 return. Unlike Sydney, which will have both international airports connected by rail lines by late next year or 2028, a proposed train line to Melbourne Airport is not expected to be completed until early next decade, at the earliest.

Western Sydney Airport chief executive Simon Hickey said the five-year partnership with the bus company expanded the choice and flexibility of transport options for passengers travelling to and from the 24-hour hub.

“Passengers will be able to enjoy a great onboard experience including luggage racks, dedicated space for prams and wheelchairs, and exclusive bus bays for boarding and disembarking at the airport,” he said.

The direct shuttle services will initially be scheduled to align with arriving and departing flights.

Super Shuttle will operate electric buses, each of which has capacity for 37 passengers and space for two wheelchair users.

The fares are “discounted prices” for the launch of the shuttle services, and the period they will remain hinges on factors such as demand. The shuttle buses are not subsidised by the government or the airport.

In July, new public bus routes began operating every 30 minutes from 5am to 10pm each day between Western Sydney Airport and Penrith, Leppington, Liverpool, Campbelltown and Mount Druitt. Journey times range from 50 minutes to 66 minutes for a full-length trip one way.

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