Free Public Transport

There has being some talk again in the news about providing free public transport during off-peak times. Click here to listen.

This is something I feel needs to be looked into and seriously thought about.

According to the State government, we (the taxpayer) subsidise 75% of the cost of a person's train ticket. So, if we're paying $5.10 for a return ticket (which my wife had to pay to go just ONE station!!), the government is paying $15.30 on top of that. Now, surely it wouldn't cost $20.40 for a train to run for about a minute in between two stations.

If the state government was serious about trying to get people to use public transport they need to lower the cost, by a long way! I'm happy for that price to reach zero, and I'm sure that there are many who would agree. If I was voted into the Parliament, I would flight to lower the cost of public transport for anyone.

There are many benefits of doing this including the environmental benefits of having fewer cars on the road, and also less traffic congestion.

Personally, the only reason I don't catch the train to work at the moment is because of the cost. It's more expensive then driving my car, and it's quicker (even with a car jam). There is also the issue of how often the trains run, but thats other story.....

Regards, Tim.