Students with SmartRider cards will ride free on weekdays from 5 February. Photo: METRONET.
The West Australian Government has announced that schoolchildren will be provided with free travel on all public transport on school days from 5 February, and that all travellers will ride free on Sundays from 4 February.
The Ride to School Free Program will be 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 move follows the end of the Summer of Free Public Transport promotion around Perth, which started on Christmas Eve and ran until 28 January, and which saw public transport patronage spike by 40 per cent compared with the same period last summer.
A government statement said the initiatives would mean cost-of-living relief for West Australian families, and were also aimed at providing additional support for small businesses.
It is estimated the change could see families with two children travelling to and from school daily on public transport saving up to $560 a year. About 300,000 students currently have Student SmartRider cards.
The changes come on top of other public transport savings initiatives put in place by the government, including the free School Bus Service in regional Western Australia, doubling the conveyance allowance for families that cannot access the free School Bus Service, a 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.
WA Premier Roger Cook said helping with cost-of-living pressures was his government’s top priority.
“The cost of public transport for schoolkids adds up, and this measure alone can save families more than $500 each year,” he said.
“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.”
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti added: “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.”
Details on the free public transport initiatives are available at https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/.
