Key facts
- Public transport fares in Victoria to be capped at $30 weekly.
- Cap to begin January 1, 2027, and run until December 2028.
- Cost to government estimated at $206 million.
- Labor also pledged a $30 weekly cap on road tolls.
- Coalition previously committed to a $50 weekly toll cap.
Victorian public transport fares will be capped at $30 a week if the Labor government is re-elected next month, Premier Ben Carroll announced on Monday. The fare cap is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2027, following the end of half-price fares that were introduced after a period of free travel during the fuel crisis sparked by the US-Iran war. Carroll stated the cap would provide cost-of-living relief, potentially saving regular commuters $1,400 annually. The initiative is budgeted at $206 million over two years, until December 2028, and will be funded by spending cuts elsewhere. The Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, called for free public transport instead, criticizing Labor's offer as a temporary discount. This pledge follows Labor's Sunday commitment to cap road tolls at $30 per week for a year, a move the opposition leader, Jess Wilson, dismissed as untrustworthy given past toll increases.