Media release: Call for NSW Government to cut public transport fares to help with cost-of-living pressures

The NSW Government should cut transport fares to help encourage people onto public transport and help with the current cost of living crisis, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW said.

Cheaper fares would help to increase patronage and showcase the world-class transport system operating in NSW.

New RTBU NSW Secretary, Toby Warnes said cutting the cost of public transport is a great policy decision which will have a positive impact across the board.

“Many people are feeling the pinch- whether it’s the cost of the weekly grocery shop going up, the cost of filling up the petrol tank or the rising costs of rents and mortgages.

“We should be doing everything possible to encourage people off our roads and on to public transport and in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, helping people with their commuting costs will help ease some of the pressure.

“When transport workers forced the NSW Government to make transport free during our industrial dispute, we saw huge benefits flow from a usage perspective but also from a broad economic perspective. There’s every reason to think we’d see similar benefits longer term if we slashed public transport prices.

“Making public transport as accessible as possible should be a core aim of a state government. This is the way you do it.”

The RTBU call follows the announcement by the Queensland Government that all public transport fares would be slashed to just 50 cents.

“The NSW Government should be following Queensland’s lead and dramatically cutting the cost of public transport across the state,” Mr Warnes said.

The call for cheaper fares for NSW commuters is being put forward as an RTBU NSW resolution at the upcoming NSW State Labor Conference in late July.