The Western Australian government has announced that students who currently hold a valid SmartRider card will be able to ride buses for free Monday to Friday with its Ride to School Free Program.
WA residents with a valid SmartRider card will also be able to ride buses and public transport for free with the WA government’s Fare Free Sunday initiative.
“The cost of public transport for school kids adds up, and this measure alone can save families more than $500 each year,” WA premier Roger Cook says.
“Through METRONET, we’re expanding public transport right across our suburbs and now more people than ever will be able to ride free.”
The initiatives come following the successful conclusion of the WA government’s summer of free public transport initiative, which saw an increase in bus and public transport users across the state.
WA transport minister Rita Saffioti says that across the first four weeks of the scheme, there were more than 6.2 million SmartRider boardings.
“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,” Saffioti says.
The two programs came on top of the WA government’s existing public transport supports. This includes a free school bus service in regional WA and doubled conveyance allowance for families that cannot access the service.
Other existing supports in WA include a two-zone fare cap for public transport travel in metropolitan Perth, a regional airfare zone cap scheme and free public transport for seniors during off-peak.
The Fare Free Sunday initiative also builds on a current scheme by the WA government where public transport is free on the first Sunday of every month.
The Ride to School Free program will commence on February 5 while the Fare Free Sunday’s initiative begins on February 4.
