The Perth Central Area Transit (Perth CAT) system, or simply CAT, consists of five bus routes in the centre of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, one bus route in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, and three bus routes in

Joondalup Joondalup () is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, approximately north of Perth's central business district. It contains the central business district of the regional City of Joondalup and acts as the primary urban centre of Perth's outer ...

. Similar services exist in Rockingham (the City Centre Transit System) and Midland (the Midland Gate Shuttle). Unlike all other

Transperth Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system serving the city and suburban areas of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation. Train op ...

services, most CAT routes are

free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procur ...

Perth CAT

On 23 September 1996, MetroBus commenced operating two CAT routes: the Red CAT and the Blue CAT, replacing the City Clipper services that had operated since September 1973. The Yellow CAT was commenced in 2002 and the Green CAT route began on 30 June 2013. The Purple CAT commenced on 27 February 2022. These CAT services are operated by

Transdev WA Transdev WA is an Australian bus company operating Transperth bus services under contract to the Public Transport Authority. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Australasia. History On 29 September 1996, Transport Management Group Pty Limited (TMG) ...

. Initially Perth CAT buses stopped at every stop, but with the introduction of the Purple CAT service passengers are now required to hail incoming buses and press the bell if they wish to alight.

Blue CAT

The Blue CAT runs between Perth and Northbridge with services extending to Kings Park during day time.

Red CAT

The Red CAT runs between West Perth and

East Perth East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from ...

as bus route number 2. During peak times a shorter Red CAT travels between the Forrest Place stop opposite

Perth railway station Perth railway station is the largest station on the Transperth network, serving the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It serves as an interchange between the Airport, Armadale, Fremantle, Joondalup, Mandurah and Midland ...

and the West Perth stop as bus route number 4 to meet high demand for travel between these. In addition, the West Perth Loop of the Red CAT travels from Perth Underground to Raine Square.

Yellow CAT

The Yellow CAT, introduced on 15 December 2002, runs between East Perth and West Perth as bus route number 3.

Green CAT

The Green CAT commenced on 1 July 2013, and runs between

Leederville railway station Leederville railway station is a railway station on the Transperth network in Western Australia. It is located on the Joondalup line, 3.2 kilometres from Perth station serving the suburb of Leederville. History Leederville station opened ...

and

Elizabeth Quay Bus Station Elizabeth Quay Bus Station, formerly the Esplanade Busport, is a Transperth bus station, located at the southern edge of the Perth CBD in Western Australia, next to the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre and Elizabeth Quay railway station. It h ...

as bus route number 5. Intended to ease congestion in the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

, the Green CAT does not run on weekends nor on public holidays.

Purple CAT

The Purple CAT commenced on 27 February 2022, and runs between the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

and

via the

Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre The Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre (QEIIMC), commonly known as just QEII, is a medical campus in Perth, Western Australia, situated in the suburb of Nedlands directly adjacent to Kings Park. It contains Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, the P ...

Fremantle CAT

The Fremantle CAT, which commenced on 26 August 2000, now comprises the Fremantle Blue CAT only, with the Red CAT being scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fremantle CAT services are operated by

Joondalup CAT

The Joondalup CAT started operating on 9 January 2006. It is currently operated by

Swan Transit Swan Transit is an Australian bus company operating Transperth services under contract to the Public Transport Authority. It is a subsidiary of Transit Systems. History On 21 January 1996, Swan Transit commenced operating services in the Midl ...

since 20 January 2020. It runs Monday to Friday around the Joondalup central business district as bus routes 10 (anticlockwise) and 11 (clockwise). On Mondays to Thursdays, Joondalup CAT also runs around the Joondalup Campus of

Edith Cowan University Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a public university in Western Australia. It is named in honour of the first woman to be elected to an Parliaments of the Australian states and territories, Australian parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Aust ...

as route 13, but only on the university's operating days.

Similar services

Rockingham City Centre Transit System

The Rockingham City Centre Shuttle started operation on 23 December 2007. It is the only CAT service that charges a fare. It travels between Rockingham railway station and

Rockingham Centre Rockingham Centre is a regional shopping centre located south-southwest of Perth, Western Australia, in the suburb of Rockingham. First opened in 1971 and formerly known as Rockingham City Shopping Centre, Rockingham Park Shopping Centre and ...

. It runs as bus route 555.

Midland Gate Shuttle

The Midland Gate Shuttle started operation on 5 July 2009. It runs as route 300 and does not operate on Sundays and Public holidays. It travels in an anti-clockwise circle from Midland station around

Midland Gate Midland Gate Shopping Centre is located in Midland, Western Australia. It is north of Great Eastern Highway, and east of the earlier Midland Junction shopping area that was focused on the Great Northern Highway. Midland Gate is one of three s ...

Shopping Centre and then back to Midland station.Route 300 timetable
Transperth 5 July 2009

Fleet

Perth CAT Cat17.jpg,

Volgren Volgren is an Australian bus and coach body manufacturer. History Volvo Buses, VolGrenda Corporation, gren was formed in 1977 by Melbourne bus operator Grenda Corporation in Dandenong, Victoria. Because Grenda held the Volvo Buses dealership i ...

CR228L-bodied

Mercedes-Benz OC500LE The Mercedes-Benz OC 500 LE is a modular, heavy-duty, twin-axle bus chassis produced by Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus Ibérica, Spain. It was designed as a modular platform for low-entry city, suburban, and intercity buses with a maximum gross vehicle w ...

CNG formerly used on Perth CAT Volvo B8RLE 2623 CAT.jpg,

Optimus bodied

Volvo B8RLE The Volvo B8RLE is a 7.7-litre-engined low-entry bus chassis manufactured by Volvo since 2013 for Euro VI markets. It was designed as a replacement for the B7RLE and the B9RLE. The right-hand drive version was launched in November 2014.

. Perth CAT 2013 Volgren CR228L bodied Volvo B7RLE diesel TP2142.jpg,

CR228L bodied

Volvo B7RLE The Volvo B7RLE is a low-entry single-deck bus chassis manufactured by Volvo. It was superseded by the Volvo B8RLE in 2013. Specifications The Volvo B7RLE is similar to its predecessor, the B10BLE. In essence the B7RLE is the front section of t ...

. Fremantle CAT Orange CAT (Transdev) Volgren CR225L bodied Mercedes-Benz O405NH.jpg,

CR225L-bodied

Mercedes-Benz O405NH The Mercedes-Benz O405 was a single-decker bus manufactured by Mercedes-Benz from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s as either an integral bus or a bus chassis and was the last VöV SL-II standard bus in production. It was the replacement for th ...

formerly used by Fremantle CAT until 2017 Fremantle CAT 2006 Volgren CR228L bodied Mercedes-Benz OC 500 LE CNG 114.jpg,

CR228L-bodied

CNG currently used for the Fremantle CAT services.

References

External links

Showbus gallery
* {{TransperthBusStations Bus transport brands Public transport in Perth, Western Australia Zero-fare transport services 1996 establishments in Australia