Labor promises $30 weekly cap for Victorian public transport amid push for free travel

Public transport fares in Victoria will be capped at $30 a week if the Labor government is re-elected next month.

The premier, Ben Carroll, on Monday said the fare cap would begin on 1 January, the day after half-price fares end. The discounted fares were introduced after a period of free public transport in response to the fuel crisis sparked by the US-Iran war.

“This is real cost-of-living relief that helps a regular commuter save $1,400 a year,” Carroll said.

“Everyone can benefit, but full-time workers will benefit most.”

The cap would cost the government $206m and would run for two years until December 2028.

The government said the cap was not sustainable in the long-term and would be funded through “commonsense decisions to reduce spending” in other areas.

The Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, urged the government to go further and make public transport free.

“After 12 years in government, Labor is only offering Victorians a temporary discount with an expiry date after the election,” she said.

“People are sick of paying more and getting less. We need more frequent, reliable and accessible trains, trams and buses that people can actually depend on.”

The commitment follows Labor’s pledge on Sunday to cap road tolls at $30 per week for a year, saving drivers who regularly use them as much as $5,000. The Coalition had previously committed to a $50-a-week toll cap if elected in November.

“Imitation is the best form of flattery,” the opposition leader, Jess Wilson, told reporters on Sunday.

She said Labor could not be trusted to lower tolls, given they had consistently increased them in their 12 years in government.

“Victorians are paying higher tolls today as a direct consequence of the decision making of this Labor government, and you simply cannot trust them now, five minutes to midnight, that they’re going to reduce toll,” Wilson said.