23 September 2024
It was Transport Equity Week last week and while Queenslanders celebrated their 50c fare public transport trial becoming permanent, Victorians were still paying top dollar for a transport system that leaves everyone outside the city behind.
The Queensland Government’s trial has seen a massive growth in public transport patronage and a massive saving for Queenslanders. Thanks to increased patronage across the state, commuters have saved approximately $37 million since the trial began.
Victoria’s public transport system, although extensive, is geared towards serving the city and immediate surrounds, often leaving outer metro and regional areas disconnected.
Victoria’s inefficient, unreliable and unequitable public transport network:
- Entrenches social disadvantage
- Increases isolation
- Furthers the cost-of-living pressures
- Generates more pollution
- Increases congestion
- Limits access to employment, education, health services, shops, and social activities
Tireless advocacy work of locals, including the #fixdandybuses and #fix800bus campaigns have been invaluable to ensuring Victoria’s transport policy is informed by the people that use the infrastructure every day.
In this year’s budget we got a huge win for the locals who rely on the infamously unreliable 800 bus route. I asked about the route twice on the floor of Parliament because locals had campaign tirelessly for years. While it is far from perfect the route will soon have an increased 7-day service.
We want to elevate these local voices so they can be heard on local issues. No one knows what is wrong with a bus route better than people getting on the bus every day.
Last month my Legalise Cannabis colleague, David Ettershank MP read a motion into the Parliament calling on the government to review bus networks in growth regions and commit to investigating the feasibility of an equitable ticket pricing system. That system would see fare prices drop in Melbourne’s growth corridors, where the cost-of-living crisis is hitting the hardest.
To improve Victoria’s bus networks, we need the community to get on board. We want to follow Queensland’s lead and make the bus network an affordable and feasible option for all Victorians, regardless of how much they earn. With more people on cheaper buses, we will also be able to see exactly where the routes need review and improvement.
Victorians deserve a state-wide bus network that is fast, affordable and frequent.
