South Australian public transport passengers will avoid an immediate fare increase from July, with the Malinauskas government pausing annual metroCARD fare rises for at least three months.
Public transport fares would usually increase under annual indexation from July 1, but instead metroCARD fares will remain at 2025–26 levels until at least October 1 this year.
The government says the temporary pause is designed to provide cost-of-living relief for commuters while uncertainty in international fuel markets continues.
Standard indexation of 3.3 per cent will be reviewed closer to October, with the state government to decide whether the fare increase should proceed or be delayed further.
The decision applies to metroCARD public transport fares and comes as other government fees and charges are still set to rise from July 1. Those increases have been gazetted and are below the current national inflation rate of 4.6 per cent.
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South Australian Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis says the government is trying to limit the impact of rising costs where possible.
“Plenty of South Australians are struggling with the cost of living,” Koutsantonis says.
“While we all understand that various government fees and charges always increase with CPI, we try wherever we can to minimise those increases, and in the 2026–27 financial year, we are keeping that increase below the rate of inflation, in some cases, well below.”
Koutsantonis says volatility linked to the conflict in the Middle East has influenced the decision to defer public transport fare increases.
“We know the ongoing conflict in Iran has caused ongoing uncertainty,” he says.
“While we have seen the cost of filling up a tank come down substantially from the peaks we saw in March, we believe it is appropriate to put a pause on the indexed increases to public transport fares.”
The pause will remain in place until at least October 1, with the government leaving open the option to extend the measure if fuel market uncertainty persists.
“That pause will last until at least October 1, and the government will consider extending it if the conflict and associated uncertainty remain ongoing,” Koutsantonis says.
The fare pause sits alongside broader changes to state fees and charges. From July 1, South Australian motorists will pay $693.52 for 12 months registration for a four-cylinder car, a 3.4 per cent increase. That total includes Compulsory Third Party premiums, with metropolitan class one CTP premiums increasing from $264.31 to $274.73.
Koutsantonis says the government is aiming to be transparent while delaying fare increases for public transport users.
“Announcing increases to fees and charges is never popular, but we are being transparent, keeping cost increases down and deferring the impact of these changes for commuters on our public transport network,” he says.
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