Students, pensioners, and concession card holders will soon enjoy free public transport all day, every day, after an ACT Greens motion passed the Legislative Assembly unanimously.
Greens transport spokesperson Andrew Braddock MLA called for all concession travel to be free regardless of the time of day; all students to be eligible for concessions; and any remaining funding from Labor’s Fare Free Fridays trial (which ends next month) to be used to reduce prices for concession fares from December.
Currently, most concession card holders travel for free during off-peak periods, while seniors over 70 travel free at all times. However, Mr Braddock said, that leaves out people who need to travel at peak times, including pensioners, school students, and part-time tertiary students.
“This is a win for Canberrans feeling the pinch of rising transport costs,” Mr Braddock said today. “Parents will have a cost-free way to get their kids to school; pensioners can travel to the shops or visit loved ones without worry; and university students no longer have to stress about affording the trip to work or class.
“As Fare Free Fridays are set to wind down, it’s good to see the Assembly getting on board with this Greens policy. It will make life a lot easier for those who really need cost-of-living support at the moment…
“Our public transport system is far from perfect and needs substantial investments in buses and light rail. I’m really pleased to see the Assembly unanimously come behind this common-sense measure and hope we make more progress in making public transport an accessible, safe, and affordable option.”
Community sector
Advocacy for Inclusion (AFI) and the ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) welcomed the debate in the ACT Legislative Assembly today on free public transport.
“AFI and ACTCOSS have long advocated for free public transport for people who can benefit the most,” AFI head of policy Craig Wallace said. “It is fantastic to see the Assembly listening to community sentiment to make this a fairer community.”
ACTCOSS CEO Dr Devin Bowles said: “Accessible and affordable public transport is critical to enabling social and economic participation for all Canberrans, particularly people with disability and those on low incomes. Reliable transport helps people get to work, education, healthcare and community services — yet cost remains a barrier for many.
“Focusing on priority groups is a positive step for increasing equity in the ACT. Free transport would be an excellent investment to increase the use of public transport. Given the context of significant road works over the coming year, moving more people via public transport is critical. We understand Government will need to undertake policy and process adjustments before the rubber hits the road on this measure. We stand ready to help.”
“People with disability, people on low incomes, older people and those living in outer suburbs are more vulnerable to isolation if they cannot afford or access transport,” Mr Wallace added.
“Free transport would be potentially liberating for many people receiving the Disability Support Pension and looking for work. Our White Paper on Income Support included a model Budget which shows that people with disability face a shortfall of around $824 per fortnight on conservative estimates after paying for the bare necessities of private rental housing, groceries, on demand transport, utilities and other expenses with little left over for emergencies.”
AFI and ACTCOSS believe that expanding free public transport would have broader social and economic benefits — including fewer cars on the road, reduced congestion and emissions, and more frequent and accessible services as more people use public transport.
Both organisations have consistently called for the ACT Government to develop a business case assessing the costs and benefits of making public transport free. Such a change would build on existing concessions for seniors and fare-fee trials recently undertaken as part of implementation of the Light Rail and MyWay+ ticketing systems. The ACT already provides free travel on Fare-Free Fridays, as well as permanent free travel for seniors aged 70+, and off-peak free travel for those aged 60–69.
AFI also calls for work on transport infrastructure and point-to point-transport including sustainable funding for community transport and attention to the quality and accessibility of taxi services and rideshare.
