Public transport to become free for students travelling to school, everyone on Sundays

Following the (unsurprising) success of Perth’s Summer of Free Public Transport over the past month-and-a-bit, the WA Government has announced an extension of the initiative for students (all week) and the general public (Sundays).

In a statement over the weekend, WA Premier Roger Cook said the cost of living relief policy could save families over $500 a year.

“Helping Western Australians with cost-of-living pressures is my Government’s top priority,” 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.”

According to the government, public transport patronage was up 40% during the free public transport period, which kicked off on December 24 and ends today.

Riders will need a SmartRider card to take advantage of the initiative, with the Ride to School Free Program used for travel to and from school Monday to Friday, with Fare Free Sundays available to everyone.

The school program begins next Monday 5 February, and Fare Free Sundays the day before.

“The [Summer of Free Public Transport] 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,” said Transport Minister Rita Saffioti.

“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.”

Find out more via transperth.wa.gov.au.