Trip from Sydney Airport 9:30 am to Kings Cross Station - best option

[pink845]

Hi,  we will be arriving in Sydney on a Monday morning and looking to get downtown to the Kings Cross Station.  What would be our best bet.  There will be four of us with each one of us having a large suitcase and a back pack.   Cost wise, should we simply cab it to the hotel which is basically across from the King's Cross Station or should we board the airport train (sounds pricey - for a short train ride to Central (somewhere around $14 AUS) and then have to pay another fee to board another train from Central to King's Cross).  

 

I was reading about the OPAL card and saw something that made mention of :  

 

• Daily Travel Cap* – Pay no more than $16.10 per day for adults and $8.00 a day for a child to travel anywhere in the network
• Weekly Travel Cap* – Pay no more than $50.00 a week when travelling on all modes of Opal enabled transport from Monday to Sunday

 

Does anyone know if the above two caps include the Airport portion of my proposed journey.   I am going to be in Sydney from Monday to Saturday and will want to take the public transportation all around Sydney as well to Katoomba.  $50.00 for a week sounds almost too good to be true!!!  Advice please.  

 

 

[GUT2407]

Cost wise train may be slightly cheaper, but you’d need one to central then change to Kings Cross line I think.

 

4 of you would be about $68 by train I think.

 

Taxi with all that you would need a Maxi Taxi (a mini Van) which comes with a 59% loading so maybe $75-100 door to door.

 

I know which I’d do.

[kazbar]

The weekly cap doesnt include the airport trains as far as I know

[The_Big_M]

As above, the airport fee is not included in the daily/weekly travel caps.

 

Regarding pricing, there aren't two separate fares out of the airport and to Kings cross. It's part of the same network so there is the standard fare for distance but any access in/out of the airport has an additional charge of $14.87 added. i.e. depending on day/time the fare to Kings Cross will be about $18.20, which will be either the same or very similar to the fare to Central.

 

 

[Aus Traveller]

For four people I would get a maxi taxi (van) door to door. If there isn't one waiting in the taxi rank, one can be ordered for you. It would probably come fairly promptly.

[MicCanberra]

I would be getting a Taxi/ Uber for the 4 of you unless your hotel has a shuttle. Alternatively, you organise a private transfer.

[Aus Traveller]

10 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

I would be getting a Taxi/ Uber for the 4 of you unless your hotel has a shuttle. Alternatively, you organise a private transfer.

Four people and luggage would probably need a van, rather an Uber, unless some Uber vehicles are larger than the usual sedans I have seen. I am hesitant to recommend a private transfer. On a couple of occasions where we have pre-booked and pre-paid we have had to wait for hours, literally, even with several phone calls asking where the car is. Answer, "He is on his way and will be there shortly." Yeah! I suggest going to a free 'taxi phone' or speaking to the person organising the taxi queue, and ordering a maxi taxi.

Edited July 5, 2019 by Aus Traveller

[MicCanberra]

3 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Four people and luggage would probably need a van, rather an Uber, unless some Uber vehicles are larger than the usual sedans I have seen. I am hesitant to recommend a private transfer. On a couple of occasions where we have pre-booked and pre-paid we have had to wait for hours, literally, even with several phone calls asking where the car is. Answer, "He is on his way and will be there shortly." Yeah! I suggest going to a free 'taxi phone' or speaking to the person organising the taxi queue, and ordering a maxi taxi.

Uber X will do the job.

[Toryhere]

If you do take the train, I would suggest that you go the opposite direction for one stop to Wolli Creek and change to an Eastern Suburbs line train there. There’s much less hassle getting from the airport plane platform to the the Eastern Suburbs line platform

[The_Big_M]

4 people and 8 pieces of luggage will not be handled by Uber x.

 

They do have a larger option, at extra cost.

[MicCanberra]

6 hours ago, The_Big_M said:

4 people and 8 pieces of luggage will not be handled by Uber x.

 

They do have a larger option, at extra cost.

We have done it and yes it costs extra to the normal Uber.

[lyndarra]

21 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

For four people I would get a maxi taxi (van) door to door. If there isn't one waiting in the taxi rank, one can be ordered for you. It would probably come fairly promptly.

I gone this way with a group of four. More convenient.

[The_Big_M]

13 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

We have done it and yes it costs extra to the normal Uber.

 

Yes, the larger option is called UberXL. If you just book uberx for that much, the driver will cancel on you when they pick you up (or take half of the group and another can order another).

[MicCanberra]

15 minutes ago, The_Big_M said:

 

Yes, the larger option is called UberXL. If you just book uberx for that much, the driver will cancel on you when they pick you up (or take half of the group and another can order another).

My point was that you can order bigger vehicles with Uber.

[Aus Traveller]

I still think the best option is to order a maxi taxi. There are a lot of them on the road and they would have plenty of room. We have used a maxi taxi for a family group of six (with luggage) going on a cruise. I think there could be problems with the Uber option. There would not be many very large Uber vehicles so there could be quite a long wait for one.

 

In my experience with Uber, if someone wants a vehicle to go to an out of the way location (or in this instance want a very large vehicle) there can be delays. We live in a semi-rural area of Brisbane (well under 30 minutes drive from the CBD) and my daughter lives about 45 minutes drive from the CBD. We have both had drivers who have accepted the job, then while we have been standing waiting (and waiting some more) for the vehicle, the driver has decided to cancel. We now order taxis even though they cost more. We have found that they turn up exactly at the expected time.🙂

 

The bit extra cost of a taxi compared with an Uber vehicle, divided between the four people in this instance, would not be a lot.

[MicCanberra]

I think you can possibly keep the options open and use either, if there is no UBER XL near by, grab a maxi taxi or vice a versa.

[Toryhere]

Of course you could just line up at the ordinary cab rank and get two taxis. It would be easier.

[GUT2407]

26 minutes ago, Toryhere said:

Of course you could just line up at the ordinary cab rank and get two taxis. It would be easier.

Except I’ve never had any trouble getting a maxi taxi.

[GUT2407]

There aill likely be s9me station wagon taxis there too, that would probably do you, with no surcharge.

[banzaii]

On 7/5/2019 at 2:52 PM, Aus Traveller said:

For four people I would get a maxi taxi (van) door to door. If there isn't one waiting in the taxi rank, one can be ordered for you. It would probably come fairly promptly.

By far the best suggestion.  I've only had to wait (about 2 minutes) for maxi once and we got there just after one left with 2 passengers.  It seems that the maxi will charge normal taxi rates if not ordered.

 

There are also a good number of large wagons (like ford territory) that easily caters for 4.

[The_Big_M]

22 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

My point was that you can order bigger vehicles with Uber.

 

Didn't sound like it. You just said you can get vehicles that can handle that many with UberX, which is incorrect. 

[MicCanberra]

2 minutes ago, The_Big_M said:

 

Didn't sound like it. You just said you can get vehicles that can handle that many with UberX, which is incorrect. 

Yes, it looks like I made a post for the Christmas season, There was No L.

[The_Big_M]

7 hours ago, banzaii said:

By far the best suggestion.  I've only had to wait (about 2 minutes) for maxi once and we got there just after one left with 2 passengers.  It seems that the maxi will charge normal taxi rates if not ordered.

 

There are also a good number of large wagons (like ford territory) that easily caters for 4.

 

Agreed, grab and go. Price should be similar to Uber XL, and you save the need to wait (and set up wifi, as an international traveller without local internet plan).