Public transport in Victoria will be free until the end of May and then half price to the end of 2026, as the state government expands its cost-of-living policy while fuel prices stay high.
Premier Jacinta Allan will on Sunday announce the major discounts to travel on all public train, tram and bus trips, in an extension of Labor’s free public transport for April.
The $400 million policy, a key part of the government’s May budget, extends free public transport until the end of next month and halves fares from June 1 until the end of the year – a month after the state election.
“Free travel now – cheaper fares next,” Allan said. “As premier, I’m determined to do everything in my control to help Victorians who are under pressure.
“I know this won’t solve every problem, but it’s another step I can take to help Victorians right now.”
Myki fares are capped at $11.40 a day, meaning a full-fare, five-day-a-week commuter would save $250, or $205 if they use a monthly or yearly myki pass during April and May.
highways on
At least make PT free on weekends until December
PumpinSmashkins on
Amazing. Common sense and tbh it should be this cheap permanently. $11.50 a day is great if you live in Werribee but if you’re in the inner city it’s a bit of a ripoff. With wfh changes they need to have something in the middle ground as a monthly pass wouldn’t be worth it for many hybrid workers now.
That said, I hope they do something for the poor V/Line customers currently traveling like small canned fish.
dj_ethical_buckets on
Make it permanent, and no I dont care about wHo WilL pAy FoR iT?!?/!?1?1
xFallow on
It’s small thing but not needing to remember my myki or queue up for the gates at a busy station is really nice
-Metagross- on
Sensible policy that makes a difference in the lives of ordinary people
iyoteyoung on
I’m really happy about this! But is anyone else suspicious that it took us minimal fighting to get this? As in something bad must be looming for them to be okay with losing 70 mil for another month and 35 mill ever month after?
WretchedMisteak on
lol – nothing to do with petrol crisis (doubting it even had an impact on Metro services).
This smells a lot like an election sweetener.
mrrtchbrrx on
Make it permanent pls. No more queues, sack all the ticket dogs, remove the cattle gates and we’ll be golden.
AuZyzz on
Very sensible decision
expl0it_ on
Anyone think this will help her win the election? Either way, I’m very supportive of this. I’ve ditched my car more times than ever when heading to the city with the kids. And I live in outer western suburbs.
moon-twig on
I’m a masters student and this free public transport has genuinely changed my day to day. So thankful for this
Hansanaw on
So funny to see the comments here being sensible and positive vs the boomer comments on facebook being negative as usual on everything.
Althusser_Was_Right on
Normal people: “Hell yea, this is great. Another expense I don’t have to worry about”
People who read the AFR: “Government expenditure? That’s a paddlin'”
[deleted] on
[deleted]
ConsequenceLimp9717 on
Let’s goooooo, generally I’m having much more pleasant commutes and strangely seeing less antisocial behaviour despite seeing more people on PT. The staff at stations seem more chill too and I don’t have to stress about topping up my Myki.
Stk4nams5 on
This is all well and good if the trains worked… half the time there’s issues and they have replacement buses, which take 3 x times as long as compared to just driving…
shm4y on
Alright time to start tapping on 🫡
southparkmum on
Should be free anyway
party973 on
I can already imagine the public outcry when Myki goes back to full price.
Condoor21 on
I wonder if they’ll take something like .50 C fees to the election. Get more people on with half priced fairs and then say something like vote Labor for a permanent reduction in public transport fairs
Couthk1w1 on
Good, make it permanent. Anything to encourage reducing fuel demand, and reducing traffic.
notauseroraname on
How does a labour MP get a job at transurban after public life if they reduce people on toll roads with free or low cost fares?
OkTemperature-8534 on
Outside of the fuel crisis I don’t think making it completely free should be the solution just yet, but half price seems a very reasonable option.
It’s pretty well understood that we’re better off investing into improving services (whether it be network frequencies, coverage, reliability, etc) to attract more people towards using public transport, and maintain a reasonably cheap (but non-zero) fare to recover a small amount of the upgrade costs.
[https://ptua.org.au/myths/free/](https://ptua.org.au/myths/free/)
We’ve still got large parts of the city and state that only get a single bus every hour, or a train only every 30 minutes, or might not even have any public transport options at all.
Rather than subsidising free fares for the largely inner city population that already have frequent and reliable transport options, I would prefer to see the money going towards improving the services in those areas that have limited public transport instead.
cfreezle on
To anyone who thinks this will negatively impact the economy, it will do the opposite. If a government provides benefits like free or cheaper public transport, it incentivises the public to spend that money in other ways, for example, grabbing a coffee at a local cafe or buying other local goods. We all still pay some form of tax in one way or another. Australians needs to start realising that the reason we’re in an economic and social crisis is because politicians make policies that do not benefit the many, private companies own necessities and this has created a selfish mindset as everything is about profit.
I’ve seen Victoria thriving from free public transport and it’s really positive to see that a sense of community is coming back, especially in these troubling times.
Expert-Flashy on
What about those with a myki pass? I activated my yearly pass at the beginning of March, was told it would’ve automatically extended at the end of April, am I now supposed to refund my pass? Or will they extend it by 8 months?
dion_o on
Seems like such odd timing that they converted the Myki system to accept tapping on with credit cards and then right when it’s about go live they make the functionality redundant. They might be having teething problems with it, and to properly debug it it was easier to just turn the whole system off. I guess it will remain free until it’s properly debugged.
Not sure how the half price fares play into that though, if the system needs to be off entirely.
BOBBIESWAG on
Is it a further half price for concession?
annoyedonion35 on
I work in a retail store in town and will note that the increase in business we have had with the free pt is significant. This is a good economic move in many ways
squidgee_ on
It makes common sense from a cost of living and political perspective. As part of a broader public transport strategy, I’m a bit more cautious since this will likely not achieve what people think it will achieve. The public will love this, but I’m more interested in what experts in urban planning, infrastructure and transport networks have to say about this based on their research and stats.
I hope this will not come at the expense of infrastructure upgrades, maintenance, and service provisions down the line.
carlodim on
Just wondering if seniors/concession Myki card holders will also be half their current price as well.
Pandos17 on
This is good, but further reminder that public services shouldn’t be privatised
Red_of_Head on
Has there been any conclusive evidence that free public transport is causing less driving? Apparently NSW has seen similar reductions in driving without free fares.
Free PT seems to conflict with what the Public Transport Users Association advocate for too.
septimus897 on
I hope more use of public transport across the population will also incentivise significant improvements to the network and generally influence urban planning policies going forward! This is very exciting
Brabochokemightwork on
Well the Corio fire was bad timing and it’s gonna put strain on the government
BadConscious2237 on
There is no such thing as “foregone revenue”.
drzaiusdr on
Someone should tell The Age to place such articles in front of their paywall! The irony.
muffinstatewide32 on
Hell yeah another month of paying what the bus routes are worth
38 Comments
Public transport in Victoria will be free until the end of May and then half price to the end of 2026, as the state government expands its cost-of-living policy while fuel prices stay high.
Premier Jacinta Allan will on Sunday announce the major discounts to travel on all public train, tram and bus trips, in an extension of Labor’s free public transport for April.
The $400 million policy, a key part of the government’s May budget, extends free public transport until the end of next month and halves fares from June 1 until the end of the year – a month after the state election.
“Free travel now – cheaper fares next,” Allan said. “As premier, I’m determined to do everything in my control to help Victorians who are under pressure.
“I know this won’t solve every problem, but it’s another step I can take to help Victorians right now.”
Myki fares are capped at $11.40 a day, meaning a full-fare, five-day-a-week commuter would save $250, or $205 if they use a monthly or yearly myki pass during April and May.
At least make PT free on weekends until December
Amazing. Common sense and tbh it should be this cheap permanently. $11.50 a day is great if you live in Werribee but if you’re in the inner city it’s a bit of a ripoff. With wfh changes they need to have something in the middle ground as a monthly pass wouldn’t be worth it for many hybrid workers now.
That said, I hope they do something for the poor V/Line customers currently traveling like small canned fish.
Make it permanent, and no I dont care about wHo WilL pAy FoR iT?!?/!?1?1
It’s small thing but not needing to remember my myki or queue up for the gates at a busy station is really nice
Sensible policy that makes a difference in the lives of ordinary people
I’m really happy about this! But is anyone else suspicious that it took us minimal fighting to get this? As in something bad must be looming for them to be okay with losing 70 mil for another month and 35 mill ever month after?
lol – nothing to do with petrol crisis (doubting it even had an impact on Metro services).
This smells a lot like an election sweetener.
Make it permanent pls. No more queues, sack all the ticket dogs, remove the cattle gates and we’ll be golden.
Very sensible decision
Anyone think this will help her win the election? Either way, I’m very supportive of this. I’ve ditched my car more times than ever when heading to the city with the kids. And I live in outer western suburbs.
I’m a masters student and this free public transport has genuinely changed my day to day. So thankful for this
So funny to see the comments here being sensible and positive vs the boomer comments on facebook being negative as usual on everything.
Normal people: “Hell yea, this is great. Another expense I don’t have to worry about”
People who read the AFR: “Government expenditure? That’s a paddlin'”
[deleted]
Let’s goooooo, generally I’m having much more pleasant commutes and strangely seeing less antisocial behaviour despite seeing more people on PT. The staff at stations seem more chill too and I don’t have to stress about topping up my Myki.
This is all well and good if the trains worked… half the time there’s issues and they have replacement buses, which take 3 x times as long as compared to just driving…
Alright time to start tapping on 🫡
Should be free anyway
I can already imagine the public outcry when Myki goes back to full price.
I wonder if they’ll take something like .50 C fees to the election. Get more people on with half priced fairs and then say something like vote Labor for a permanent reduction in public transport fairs
Good, make it permanent. Anything to encourage reducing fuel demand, and reducing traffic.
How does a labour MP get a job at transurban after public life if they reduce people on toll roads with free or low cost fares?
Outside of the fuel crisis I don’t think making it completely free should be the solution just yet, but half price seems a very reasonable option.
It’s pretty well understood that we’re better off investing into improving services (whether it be network frequencies, coverage, reliability, etc) to attract more people towards using public transport, and maintain a reasonably cheap (but non-zero) fare to recover a small amount of the upgrade costs.
[https://ptua.org.au/myths/free/](https://ptua.org.au/myths/free/)
We’ve still got large parts of the city and state that only get a single bus every hour, or a train only every 30 minutes, or might not even have any public transport options at all.
Rather than subsidising free fares for the largely inner city population that already have frequent and reliable transport options, I would prefer to see the money going towards improving the services in those areas that have limited public transport instead.
To anyone who thinks this will negatively impact the economy, it will do the opposite. If a government provides benefits like free or cheaper public transport, it incentivises the public to spend that money in other ways, for example, grabbing a coffee at a local cafe or buying other local goods. We all still pay some form of tax in one way or another. Australians needs to start realising that the reason we’re in an economic and social crisis is because politicians make policies that do not benefit the many, private companies own necessities and this has created a selfish mindset as everything is about profit.
I’ve seen Victoria thriving from free public transport and it’s really positive to see that a sense of community is coming back, especially in these troubling times.
What about those with a myki pass? I activated my yearly pass at the beginning of March, was told it would’ve automatically extended at the end of April, am I now supposed to refund my pass? Or will they extend it by 8 months?
Seems like such odd timing that they converted the Myki system to accept tapping on with credit cards and then right when it’s about go live they make the functionality redundant. They might be having teething problems with it, and to properly debug it it was easier to just turn the whole system off. I guess it will remain free until it’s properly debugged.
Not sure how the half price fares play into that though, if the system needs to be off entirely.
Is it a further half price for concession?
I work in a retail store in town and will note that the increase in business we have had with the free pt is significant. This is a good economic move in many ways
It makes common sense from a cost of living and political perspective. As part of a broader public transport strategy, I’m a bit more cautious since this will likely not achieve what people think it will achieve. The public will love this, but I’m more interested in what experts in urban planning, infrastructure and transport networks have to say about this based on their research and stats.
I hope this will not come at the expense of infrastructure upgrades, maintenance, and service provisions down the line.
Just wondering if seniors/concession Myki card holders will also be half their current price as well.
This is good, but further reminder that public services shouldn’t be privatised
Has there been any conclusive evidence that free public transport is causing less driving? Apparently NSW has seen similar reductions in driving without free fares.
https://theconversation.com/victoria-has-made-public-transport-free-nsw-hasnt-has-there-been-any-difference-in-uptake-280361
Free PT seems to conflict with what the Public Transport Users Association advocate for too.
I hope more use of public transport across the population will also incentivise significant improvements to the network and generally influence urban planning policies going forward! This is very exciting
Well the Corio fire was bad timing and it’s gonna put strain on the government
There is no such thing as “foregone revenue”.
Someone should tell The Age to place such articles in front of their paywall! The irony.
Hell yeah another month of paying what the bus routes are worth