- Students travel free on public transport from
next week
- Free public transport to be provided for
everyone, every Sunday
- Cost-of-living relief policy could save more
than $500 each year for families
- Announcement on the back of successful Summer of
Free Public Transport
- Patronage up 40 per cent during Summer of Free
Public Transport
The
Cook Labor Government has today announced its latest cost-of-living relief
measure, with free public transport to be provided for school student travel
and for the entire community every Sunday.
The
announcement follows the success of the Summer of Free Public Transport, which
began on December 24 and concludes today.
The
new initiatives will provide ongoing cost-of-living relief to Western
Australian families – while continuing support for small businesses.
The
Ride to School Free Program will be specifically for travel to and from school
Monday to Friday and will be available to those who hold a valid Student
SmartRider card, while the Fare Free Sundays will be available to everyone with
a valid SmartRider card.
The Ride
to School Free Program will commence on Monday February 5 while the Fare Free
Sundays will begin on February 4.
Families
who have two children travelling to and from school daily on public transport
could see savings of up to $560 across the school year as a result of the
change.
The Ride
to School Free Program will benefit every student that rides the bus or train
to school – with around 300,000 students currently holding Student SmartRiders.
The
new initiatives come on top of existing supports provided by the Cook
Government to make travel cheaper for Western Australians including:
- the free School Bus Service in regional Western
Australia;
- doubling the conveyance allowance for families
that cannot access the free School Bus Service;
- two-zone fare cap for travel on public transport
in metropolitan Perth;
- the Regional Airfare Zone Cap scheme; and
- free public transport for seniors during
off-peak.
Data
released on the final day of the Summer of Free Public Transport initiative has
shown the success of the scheme, with a significant uplift in patronage across
the network.
Across
the first four weeks of the scheme, there were more than 6.2 million SmartRider
boardings on public transport, a 40 per cent increase on last year.
The
CBD was major beneficiary of the free travel with almost half a million more people
travelling into the city than the same period last year – an increase of 37 per
cent.
During
the free transport period, those using public transport were seeing savings of
around $10 per person for a single return trip and potentially up to $370
across the entire period.
The
free Sunday travel builds on the Cook Government's existing scheme, which is
currently providing free travel on the first Sunday of every month.
Further
details on the new free public transport schemes can be found on the Transperth
website: https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/.
Comments attributed to Premier Roger Cook:
"Helping
Western Australians with cost-of-living pressures is my Government's top
priority.
"The
cost of public transport for school kids adds up, and this measure alone can
save families more than $500 each year.
"It
builds on our Summer of Free Public Transport, which saw a massive leap in
public transport use, and delivered real savings for Western Australians.
"Through
METRONET, we're expanding public transport right across our suburbs – and now
more people than ever will be able to ride free."
Comments attributed to Transport Minister
Rita Saffioti:
"Cost-of-living
pressures are impacting many Western Australians, and the Summer of Free Public
Transport is one of several initiatives implemented by our Government to help
provide relief.
"The
initiative has been a huge success, with more than 6.2 million boardings across
the public transport network during the first four weeks, a significant
increase on previous years.
"Because
of the success of the Summer of Free Public Transport initiative, we will be
keeping public transport free every Sunday and making travel free for school
students, giving Western Australians an affordable alternative to travel around
Perth.
"Making
public transport free every Sunday is another way we're helping Western
Australians manage the cost of getting around and comes on top of our two-zone
fare cap, which is already saving some people thousands of dollars every year."
Comments attributed to Education Minister
Dr Tony Buti:
"We
want every person in Western Australia to have access to a high-quality
education.
"Getting
to and from school is a crucial part of having a fair and inclusive education
system and offering free public transport will make it easier for every
student, no matter their circumstances, to attend and thrive at school.
"This adds to a number of
cost-of-living measures we already have in place to assist families with their
children's schooling."
