Lord Mayor Sally Capp raises radical policy of free public transport across Melbourne

A Melbourne official is proposing making public transport free across the city, but could waving goodbye to Myki top-ups forever become a reality for Melbourne commuters?

Lord Mayor Sally Capp has floated the radical idea of making public transport free across Melbourne, but the state government has ruled it out.

While Melbourne City Council has no power to introduce such a policy, Cr Capp floated the concept while discussing the possibility of extending the free tram zone in the CBD.

“Wouldn’t it be great if our entire public transport system was free,” she told 3AW.

“I don’t know how, economically, that stacks up, so I’m really just putting it out there, but I do feel all the cost that goes into the ticket inspectors etc, maybe there’s an in-between here.”

Lord Mayor Sally Capp thinks free public transport would be ‘great’. Picture: Aaron Francis

More than $900 million was collected in fares on the state’s transport network in 2018 and an Andrews Government spokesman said there was no plan to extend the free tram zone or offer free travel on Melbourne’s train network.

“Victoria currently has generous public transport concession arrangements, while the free CBD tram zone allows people to get to some of Melbourne’s most popular destinations free of charge,” he said.

Opposition transport spokesman David Davis said while “kite flying is a good idea”, free public transport would leave a major hole in future Budgets. “If you have less money from the fare box, you have less capacity to do the projects you might need across the system,” he said.

Public Transport Users ­Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said the main barrier for most people using the ­system was not fares, “it’s the lack of services”.

Victoria’s train and tram network collects more than $900 million in fares annually. Picture: Sarah Matray

Asked about the issue by the Herald Sun, the Lord Mayor said the issue of free public transport was a hot topic in the community. “But realistically, the revenue raised from our public transport ­system is needed to run the network and help fund the major upgrades currently underway,” she said.

State parliament’s Upper House has passed a motion by Transport Matters MP Rob Barton to look at extending the free tram zone.

Mr Barton wants it to include the MCG, National Gallery, Shrine of Remembrance and Melbourne Zoo.

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Ms Capp said she would like to see it extended to those major tourism precincts.

“If people could have lunch in Lygon St and go to the NGV travelling on trams for free, (or) come from the convention centre over to a footy game at the MCG, that would be fantastic,” she said.

Under Melbourne’s public transport contracts, Metro Trains spends $330 million a year on maintenance and renewal works, while Yarra Trams spend $81.5 million on the same works.

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