Subsidised fares an option to lure Sydney public transport commuters back: David Elliott
A new government initiative is being developed to drag commuters back on to public transport and into the CBD.
NSW
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Workers returning to the office may benefit from cut-price fares on public transport, the state Transport Minister said, as it was confirmed public servants would be ordered back to the workplace this month.
David Elliott said he would consider subsidised fares as an extra incentive to get passengers back on public transport.
Less than two months after vowing he wouldn’t run “ghost trains” as Omicron saw passengers scurry from the city’s public transport, Mr Elliott said “all cards are on the table” when it comes to bumping up patronage as Sydney recovers from Covid.
“All cards are on the table when it comes to public transport initiatives that could help revitalise Sydney’s CBD, as well as Parramatta. This may include subsidising fares or putting on special services to provide better access for people looking to get around,” Mr Elliott told The Telegraph.
“I’m particularly interested in looking at what we can do to make public transport more appealing for people who may be travelling to major events, festivals or other occasions that will bring people back into CBDs to help stimulate our economy.”
It comes as Premier Dominic Perrottet said public servants will be ordered to get back in the office in the Sydney and Parramatta CBDs, saying: “We want to bring life back”.
“You can hardly ask people to come back to the city if you’re not asking your public servants to come back to the city, particularly in Parramatta where we have a substantial office space for our public service. But we want to do that safely,” he said on Monday.
Information compiled by think tank Committee for Sydney and released on Monday shows public transport usage in Sydney was currently at about 80 per cent of pre-Covid levels.
Finance worker Romana Jendruch, 30, from Penrith, is among those who have made a welcome return to the CBD for work for the first time in two years.
“I commute an hour and a half one-way from Penrith and I’ll be coming back into the office every day moving forward,” Miss Jendruch told The Daily Telegraph.
“This is my first week back since the start of lockdown in 2020, so it’s a big change commuting again, but I’m not worried or scared.”
Compliance officer Avi Kumar, 21, from The Hills who travels to Martin Place three days a week for work finds it “more motivating” working in his CBD office.
“It takes me over an hour to get to work but I’m not worried about catching the train because everyone is wearing masks and keeping their distance so we’re doing everything we can,” Mr Kumar said.
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