250,000 free public transport vouchers up for grabs, plan to encourage more people into Melbourne CBD

Hundreds of thousands of free vouchers are up for grabs to encourage people back into Melbourne’s CBD. Here’s how to nab one.

A quarter of a million free public transport vouchers will be handed out to Victorians in a bid to encourage more people into Melbourne’s struggling CBD.

About 250,000 vouchers will be offered from December 16 through Public Transport Victoria’s website.

The vouchers will be in addition to free travel days on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Melbourne’s CBD has struggled after months of lockdowns, with many businesses shut and city workers still working from their homes.

But pedestrian movements are slowly increasing as the state reopens and adjusts to living with coronavirus.

Melbourne’s CBD has struggled after months of lockdowns, with many businesses shut and city workers still working from their homes. Picture: Daniel Pockett

Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said the voucher scheme would “promote a safe return to Melbourne’s CBD”.

“Victorians will no doubt be keen this festive season to celebrate their hard-won freedom, so we’re making sure they have travel options to do just that,” he said.

In order to get the free passes, valid throughout December and January, travellers need to apply for a voucher that will be emailed for printing or downloading to a smartphone.

Passengers will then be asked to show them to staff when entering or exiting public transport.

The vouchers will be broken into five event categories – Christmas events, galleries and attractions, dining, performing arts and shopping – with 50,000 passes allocated to each category.

Trains, trams and buses across the state will also be made free for all passengers between 3am on December 25 and 3am on December 26, as well as from 6pm on December 31 until 6am on January 1.

Trains, trams and buses state-wide will be free between 3am on December 25 and 3am on December 26. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Mr Carroll said metropolitan public transport fares would rise by 2.3 per cent from January 1 after the government froze fares last year.

This will amount to a 20 cent increase to the daily cost of zone 1 and 2 metropolitan tickets.

But the state opposition was critical of the voucher program’s conditions and said it had been calling for free travel through December and January for more than a month.

“Instead of a restrictive and limited voucher program, the government should be offering unlimited free travel into the Melbourne CBD in December and January to ensure it’s a Christmas present that all Victorians can enjoy,” deputy Victorian Liberal leader David Southwick said.