Victorian Labor has promised to cap public transport fares at $30 a week if it wins next month’s state election, extending its cost-of-living campaign from toll roads to trains, trams and buses. Premier Ben Carroll said the proposed fare cap would run for two years, until December 2028.
The Age reported the proposal (subscription required) would also cap concession fares at $15 a week. Existing benefits, including free public transport for children and free weekend travel for seniors, would remain in place under the pledge.
Labor estimates the public transport policy would cost $206 million over its two-year duration. Carroll said savings elsewhere would offset that expense, according to the ABC. The Age reported that Labor acknowledged the measure was not sustainable over the longer term and proposed reducing spending in other areas.
The government’s current half-price fare period is scheduled to expire on December 31, the ABC reported. Labor says a regular full-fare commuter could save around $27 a week, or $1,400 a year, under its proposed cap. Those savings are the party’s estimates against full fares, rather than the temporary half-price arrangement.
Daniel Bowen from the Public Transport Users Association welcomed the potential savings. He told the ABC that someone travelling five days a week would normally pay $57, so the proposed limit would substantially reduce their costs. He described it as a significant benefit for public transport users.
Bowen also said the government should consider reducing the price of short journeys, which he put at $5.70. His comments welcomed the weekly savings while also calling for attention to the cost of shorter trips, rather than only the fares paid by regular commuters.
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry raised concerns about the growing cost of election commitments. Its policy and advocacy chief, Amelia Bitsis, told the ABC the organisation was asking all major parties to show fiscal restraint, arguing that businesses and households would bear the burden of state debt.
The fare pledge follows Sunday’s separate Labor promise to cap freeway tolls at $30 a week, against a $50 cap proposed by the Coalition. Victorians vote on November 28. Both measures remain election commitments; the public transport cap depends on Labor being returned to government.
