Victoria's Free Public Transport Debate

0:00It's April 21st. This is Sydney News Today, AI-powered stories from your city. I'm Cory with the story. Victoria's government just extended free public transport through the end of May, then half-priced fairs until the end of 2026. Premier Jacinta Allen made the call to ease cost of living pressures, but making it free forever could run about $1 billion a year, according to budget experts. The state greens are pushing hard for permanent free rides, saying it beats short-term fixes amid high fuel costs. Their costing show it would hit nearly $940 million next year, ballooning to $12.5 billion over a decade if fairs. Vanished completely, commuters stand to save big up to $250 a month now, and over $850 from half-prices later this year, on a capped $11.40 daily fair. The transport pros like RMIT's Jago Dotson warn it mostly helps folks in wealthy inner areas with solid service, while low-income spots lose out on, expansion funds.

1:05Public transport here is already supersubsidized. The state shelled out $3.3 billion last year to operators with riders chipping. In just $7.36 million, Dotson says key fairs to build better networks and underserved zones may be funded by charging drivers more. Meanwhile, the government's rolling out off-peak upgrades on several lines by year's end, cutting weights to 20 minutes, plus 600. $73 million for 25 new trains to replace old ones. With the election looming, greens and opposition are cranking up the pressure for real service boosts over freebies.