A nice gesture, I guess. But when the fares are already so high, they really ought to be taking proactive measures to lower them, not just lock the high price in place.
Brisbane Trains
Meanwhile in NSW I spotted this in my Opal card transaction history:
- 22/11/23: $20 topup
- 24/11/23: $20 topup
I'm using $40/week?!?! I don't even go into work every day. No default charges in there either.
Still cheaper than owning a car I guess.
Still cheaper than owning a car I guess
It is, but if our governments want people to stop using cars as much, they really need public transport to be cheaper than the marginal cost of using a car that you already own. It needs to make sense to choose public transportation even when you could drive.
even when you could drive.
Especially when driving is quicker or marginally more convenient (gets you directly to your destination vs needing to catch a bus/tram/other train/walk, etc)
We capped our regional fares in Vic at $10/day, so you can travel anywhere in the state for a maximum of $10 per day (metro is $5ish). With all fares being half for anybody eligible for a concession