I’ve lived in Australia’s biggest capital cities, and I want to give up on public transport

OPINION Does it take too long for you to get into the city? Do you like complaining? If your answer to these two questions is ‘yes’, you’ve come to the right place. Millions of us use public transport every single day, including myself – but only some of them can do so with actual ease. Personally, I’ve lived in four of Australia’s biggest capital cities throughout my life, and I’d say most of their transport services could use some serious work. With limited trains, inconsistent buses and unreliable roads, it’s always a hassle to make my way from A to B. I’ve lived in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, and no matter where I live, I can never catch my bus in time. Is that because of my ADHD? Well, yes, but not always. The fact is, millions of Aussies are using public transport services every single day; but only around half of us have easy access to it. For context, I lived in Adelaide for 21 years before moving to Melbourne for my schooling, Sydney for work, and Brisbane for yet more work. Journalism may not be a thriving industry in 2026, but it does quite literally take you places! These were not easy life changes, and once I moved away from my parents, I tried to budget ...