On 31 January, ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee unveiled a “cost-of-living relief package”. Included in the $65 million package to be delivered if the Liberals win the 2024 ACT Election is the promise of:
Canberra residents will be able to access … free public transport for all students, seniors and concession card holders
Canberra Liberals Media Release: 31 January 2023
Despite the promise having a fixed cost (and therefore a fixed time period), there has been no detail provided about when this policy would take effect, nor about how long it is intended to run. There has also been no mention about whether any modelling has been undertaken to determine how it will affect passenger numbers – especially during peak travel times – and whether any additional services will be provided as a consequence.
The last time students were offered free travel en masse was in 2001, when a free student bus travel scheme was introduced. Unlike what is now being promised, that scheme was limited to Primary and Secondary school students and was only for travel during school days; eligibility was also determined by the distance required to be travelled. The scheme also catered for expected additional demand, by leasing seventeen buses to operate additional school services. After ACT Labor won government at the October 2001 election the free travel scheme ended, but a student transport program now exists offering free student travel – subject to strict eligibility requirements.
Free travel is also available for seniors and concession card holders during off-peak periods (if using a MyWay card), with ACT residents over 70 years old able to travel for free at all times. However, Tertiary students in the ACT do not currently have any access to free public transport.
The Public Transport Association of Canberra (PTCBR) has slammed the plan, saying that it is a cost-of-living policy, but not a public transport policy:
When it comes to transport and cost of living, the best approach is to improve public transport services and routes to make it a desirable and feasible choice for more people and to allow more households to reduce their car use. Cutting into Transport Canberra’s income from farebox recovery creates a budget gap that would need to be filled from somewhere, and the announcement today does not indicate how the Canberra Liberals plan to address this.
Blog post “PTCBR’S RESPONSE TO THE CANBERRA LIBERALS’ “COST OF LIVING” ELECTION PROMISE” : PTCBR, 31 January 2024
Liberal leader Ms Lee has not revealed where the money will come from, telling The Canberra Times “these measures will be included in the first budget of a Canberra Liberal government.”
This page was last updated on 22 March 2025
