The Push To Keep Public Transport Free

From March to May, public transport in Victoria was free. Labor introduced the change as a temporary cost-of-living measure to "ease pressure at the pump" resulting from the US-Israel war on Iran.

During Victoria's free travel months, March 31 and May 11, there was an increase of 19 per cent in travel compared with the same period in 2025. It makes you wonder: could we have free travel all the time?

This is the current focus of the youth campaign group Tomorrow Movement, who in March launched a petition to "Keep Public Transport free".

National Director of the Tomorrow Movement Will Potter says removing fares would avoid Victorians paying for their public service twice. "Victorians already pay for public transport in their taxes and then again, whenever they tap on," he says. He notes we don't do this for other public amenities such as libraries.

He also notes of this public transport funding, fares make up relatively little. According to a recent government audit, fares make up just 19 per cent of total network operating costs, The rest (81 per cent) is made up through our taxes.

By rolling fares into a slightly higher tax, and doing away with the Myki ticketing system altogether, the Tomorrow Movement believes Victorians could avoid the maintenance of the Myki ticketing and inspector systems, which has been subject to budget blowouts, delays, and high operational costs.

Will also notes it could help increase access for those whom the current fare (which is usually second highest in the country) is a barrier, opening up travel for those who can't access or afford a car.

Beyond the petition, transport advocates who have spoken to the Tomorrow Movement say there is also a desperate need for transport justice more generally: ensuring all passengers across the state have equal access to the public transport network.

Will says these campaign conversations have raised the issue of transport black spots where no transport options are available outside of a car, inaccessible train and tram stations and inconsistent and patchy transport services.

(Train stations across the state continue to fail to meet national accessibility standards, and despite it being legislated, Victoria is far behind on its commitment to make trams useable for commuters with disabilities or accessibility issues.)

Buses remain surprisingly one of the more accessible options, being able to raise their floor as required for someone in a wheelchair, movement limitations or with a pram. However, as anyone stuck waiting for a bus will know, punctuality and reliability remains a problem.

"There's all these justice elements tied up into this issue" Will said, adding that the group will be expanding their campaign, beyond free PT with a long term focus to advocating for a more frequent, reliable and accessible transport system.

But they are confident change is possible. "The Victorian government proved they could make public transport free," Will says "this is not blue sky thinking, it's quite easy for them to do it again, so the question is not why, it is why not?"

If you would like to sign the petition you can do so via the QR code. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/keep-pt-free

https://www.aaa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AAA_Affordability-Index-Q2-2026.pdf

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