- Cook Government provides free public transport from
24 December to 28 January
- Scheme will deliver cost-of-living relief,
saving regular public transport passengers hundreds of dollars
- Initiative to encourage people to use public
transport and support small business during summer
The
Cook Labor Government is encouraging the community to leave the car at home and
jump on the train and bus this summer, providing free public transport for SmartRider
users.
The
Summer of Free Public Transport will begin on Christmas Eve (24 December) and
run until 28 January, with free public transport available to all Smart Rider
users in metropolitan Perth and regional WA.
The $10.4
million initiative will encourage people to get out and support small business
over the Christmas and New Year period, as well as providing cost-of-living
relief.
For
a family of four travelling into the city on a few occasions over the holidays,
it could mean up to $100 in savings – both on public transport fare costs, or
driving and parking.
Regular
public transport passengers could also see savings of hundreds of dollars
across the free travel period.
The
new measures come on top of the successful two-zone fare cap – a key pillar of
the Cook Government's cost-of-living support.
The
scheme caps all public transport travel to two-zones, which is saving regular
public transport users thousands of dollars every year.
SmartRider
cards are readily available from a wide range of retail outlets and Transperth
InfoCentres. Further details on where people can get SmartRider cards can be
found on the Transperth website: https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/smartrider/types-of-smartrider/standard-smartrider
Comments attributed to Premier Roger Cook:
"We
know rising interest rates mean families are doing it tough over the summer
holidays – which can make it difficult to take the kids for a day out.
"Every
little bit helps, and our Summer of Free Public Transport can mean savings of
around $30 for a family day out in the city.
"Importantly,
it will help to encourage Western Australians to get out and about over summer,
supporting local businesses and local jobs.
"I
encourage everyone to take advantage of this scheme, and enjoy the Summer of
Free Public Transport."
Comments attributed to Transport Minister
Rita Saffioti:
"We
know at this time of year, many families choose to jump on public transport to
get around, so this is one way we can provide some cost-of-living relief, while
also encouraging people to get out and support small business.
"My
message to people is to leave the car at home - jump on a bus or train - and
make the most of the free public transport on offer this summer.
"Families
travelling to and from the city could save around $30 or more for a single
trip, while regular public transport users could see savings of hundreds of
dollars.
"Our
Government is doing everything it can to make travel cheaper for all Western
Australians - whether that be our successful two-zone fare cap or our Regional
Airfare Zone Cap scheme.
"Very
soon, more Western Australians than ever before will be able to benefit from
our two-zone fare cap and world class public transport network with a number of
major METRONET projects reaching completion in the next 18 months."
