A re-elected majority Liberal Government will halve bus fares as part of our plan to reduce cost of living pressures. Under our plan, bus fares on Metro and rural routes will be cut in half from 1 June this year, to 30 June 2025.

School buses, general access buses, ferries across all fare types including adults, students and concession passengers will benefit from this measure. This will make a real hip-pocket difference to hundreds of thousands of Tasmanians. Under our commitment, a typical Metro fare will halve from $3.50 to $1.75. This means a Tasmanian who catches a bus to and from work every day of the working week will save $17.50 a week.

That saving is even bigger for regional Tasmanians. The bus fare from Smithton to Burnie halves from $16 to $8 and Hobart to Huonville goes down to just $4.40.

We know that every dollar counts, and that’s why we are taking immediate action to provide cost of living support to all Tasmanians. The measure will also increase public transport patronage, including encouraging more people to use public transport for the first time, boosting mode-shift which reduces congestion on our roads. Every person who takes a bus is potentially a vehicle off the road network, whether that’s on the Tasman Bridge or Wellington St in Launceston.

Another key improvement for our public transport network will be the introduction of a common ticketing system later this year, enabling one transaction per passenger travelling between rural areas and the Metro network. This new system will include real time monitoring of bus services enabling passengers to track their bus arrival times and plan for more time at home and less time at the bus stop.