Getting Around South West Sydney Without a Car

The blunt geography of south west Sydney

South west Sydney splits into two kinds of suburb, and the split decides what an independent week looks like. Some suburbs have their own railway station within walking distance. Most do not, and getting anywhere means a bus, a lift, or a taxi.

It is the first thing we talk through with families comparing homes, ahead of bedroom size and well ahead of the fit-out.

The suburbs with a station of their own

Edmondson Park is the strongest case in the area. The station opened in 2015, runs T2 Leppington and T5 Cumberland Line services, has lifts between street level, the concourse and the platforms, and is staffed from 6am to 7pm daily. Ed.Square town centre sits right beside it, so a shopping trip is not a journey at all. Step free access at your own station changes what is possible for anyone who uses a wheelchair or finds stairs difficult.

Macquarie Fields has its own station too, on the T8 Airport and South Line, running toward Campbelltown one way and Glenfield, the airport and the city the other. Glenquarie Town Centre is the local shopping precinct. For someone building up to travelling alone, a station in the suburb itself removes the hardest link in the chain.

Both are set out on our Edmondson Park home page and across the rest of our homes, which state transport access plainly rather than calling everything conveniently located.

Bus country: Prestons, Carnes Hill and Hinchinbrook

Prestons, Carnes Hill and Hinchinbrook have no station, and the nearest ones are not realistically walkable. In Prestons, routes 855, 856, 857 and 869 connect toward Liverpool. Hinchinbrook is about 8km from Liverpool, roughly 20 minutes by road, and is well covered by buses. Carnes Hill runs on buses toward Liverpool as well, with Edmondson Park and Casula the closest stations by car.

Bus based independence is achievable, it just needs a different plan: learning one or two routes properly rather than a whole network, and knowing which trips genuinely need a driver. Liverpool is the hub almost everything connects through, so someone who can get to Liverpool and back has most of the region open to them.

Carnes Hill has an advantage that partly cancels out the missing station. Its Community and Recreation Precinct, on the corner of Kurrajong and Cowpasture Roads, puts a library, an indoor recreation centre with a gym and courts, outdoor courts, a skate park and a playground on one 70,000 square metre site, with a fully accessible community centre. A week with a lot in it need not involve much travel.

Four ways to pay for transport, and which is which

Opal is the starting point, and concession fares apply to a lot of participants. The Transport for NSW Trip Planner tells you whether a station has lifts, which matters more than the map suggests.

The NSW Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme sits behind Opal for people who cannot use public transport because of a severe and permanent disability. As at August 2026, Transport for NSW sets the subsidy at half the fare up to 60 dollars per trip, it is not means tested, and applications go through Service NSW. It is separate from the NDIS and worth having even if your plan funds transport.

NDIS transport funding is the third piece. It contributes to the cost of getting around when you cannot use public transport, and how much you get depends on your circumstances rather than a flat rate.

The fourth piece changes lives rather than budgets: travel training, funded through Capacity Building, where a worker rides the route with you until you can do it alone. On the T8 line, that is the difference between needing a driver forever and needing one for six weeks. Ask for it explicitly, because it is not always offered.

What to actually check before choosing a suburb

Walk the route from the front door to the nearest stop, at the hour it would really be used, and look at the footpaths rather than the map. Newer suburbs tend to have consistent kerb ramps; older streets often do not.

Then ask the provider what happens when the plan fails: the bus that does not come, the Sunday timetable. Our guide to living in Prestons does this for one suburb, and the questions apply region wide.

Frequently asked questions

Which south west Sydney suburbs have step free stations?

Edmondson Park station has lifts between street level, the concourse and the platforms, and is staffed from 6am to 7pm daily. Access varies station by station, so check the specific one rather than assuming. The Transport for NSW Trip Planner lists access information for each.

Can NDIS funding pay for taxis and rideshare?

Transport funding in a plan can contribute to getting around when public transport is not workable for you, and how it is provided depends on your circumstances. It is separate from the NSW Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme, and many people are eligible for both. Ask your plan manager how yours is set up before booking regular trips.

Is it realistic to live in south west Sydney without a car?

In suburbs with their own station, such as Edmondson Park or Macquarie Fields, yes for many people. In bus based suburbs it depends on the person and the routes, and usually on some travel training first. Liverpool is the connecting hub, so reaching Liverpool independently opens up most of the region.