Victorian Nationals: $2 public transport all day, every day to help families get ahead

A Matt Guy Liberals and Nationals Government will deliver $2 train, tram and bus fares all day, every day.

Rewarding hard working families with practical support like the $2 flat fare is an important part of our Long-Term Economic Plan and critically, only possible because we are reining in Daniel Andrews’ spiralling $167.5 billion credit card debt.

Our Plan will provide a saving for students, workers and households, encourage people to return to the CBD, and is also expected to drive an uptake in public transport use, reduce congestion on our roads and help reduce emissions.

The daily flat fare cap will mean public transport users touch on with a single daily charge against their Myki travel for the rest of the day for no further cost, and will save the typical family of public transport users around $3,500 per year.

It will reduce the cost of a daily zone 1 and 2 fare from $9.20 to $2 for the whole day, or from $4.60 to $1 for a concession ticket, and is expected to initially apply to around 1.6 million trips per day across Victoria.

It is the biggest public transport fare reduction in Australian history and will be maintained at $2 for at least the next four years.

The $2 flat fare will apply to travel on the metropolitan train, tram and bus network, and on non-V/Line regional city and town services.

The Melbourne free tram zone will be maintained, as will other existing concession and discount tickets – no one will pay more than they do today.

Additionally, our policy for free public transport for nurses and other healthcare professionals remains unchanged.

There were more than 605 million trips taken across Victoria’s public transport system in 2018-19 – the most recent non-COVID reporting period.

The policy has been independently costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office at just under $1.3 billion over four years.

Leader of the Liberal Party, Matt Guy, said the plan was a real solution to support hardworking Victorian families.

“Behind keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table, transport is one of the biggest costs for thousands of families’ bottom lines,” Mr Guy said.

“By reigning in Labor’s spiralling debt, Victorian students, workers and households will be better supported under our strong long-term economic plan.

“Under our plan, families will enjoy cheaper train, tram and bus fares all day, every day, and put those savings back into what really matters.”

Shadow Minister for Public Transport, Danny O’Brien, said the $2 flat fare was a game changer for Victorians.

“By making fares more affordable, it will encourage more people to use public transport as their first choice to get around both the city and the regions,” Mr O’Brien said.

“This is an effective and common-sense way to get more people on board, reduce car dependency, as well as reduce emissions.”