The Tasmanian government is encouraging passengers to change the way they travel with public transport trips set to be halved from June 1 this year.
As part of the state government’s 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future, transport minister Eric Abetz says Tasmanians will benefit from the half price fares from tomorrow to help handle cost of living pressures.
“It means you’ll get twice as many rides from your GreenCard or Transportme card top-up or even when using cash, or take the same number of rides and walk away with more money left in your pocket or bank account,” Abetz says.
“Students and children will only pay $1 per trip making a big difference to household budget pressures.”
The reduction also applies to all government contracted public buses and fare-paying school buses across all fare types.
Abetz says Tasmanians won’t need to do anything to receive the half price fares.
“All you’ll need to do is jump on any public transport state-wide and you’ll receive the reduced fare when you pay,” he says.
“Not only will this initiative deliver immediate cost of living relief, but it also encourages more people to use public transport and ease congestion on our roads.”
Updated fares will be charged to Greencard and Transportme cards automatically.
Operator Metro Tasmania says the fares will be halved until June 30 next year, with people paying by cash also accessing the discount.
“If using a GreenCard, just tap on as usual and the half price fare will be applied, in addition to any other GreenCard benefits (such as 20 per cent discount and capped urban fares),” Metro Tasmania says.
“The daily cap on GreenCard spendings (or the maximum amount your travel will cost each day) will also be halved during this period.”