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Free Public Transport on Christmas Day and New Years Eve (VIC)

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Free Public Transport on Christmas Day and New Years Eve (VIC)
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Normie on 08/12/2015 - 19:24 ptv.vic.gov.au (850 clicks)
Last edited 31/12/2015 - 11:09 by 2 other users

The Government will provide free public transport on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve across Victoria.

Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, announced today that passengers will not pay a cent to travel on Christmas Day or between 6pm on New Year’s Eve and 6am on New Year’s Day.

On New Year’s Eve, V/Line passengers will travel free on all services arriving in, or departing from, the city after 6pm and on the first timetabled service on each line leaving the City on New Year’s Day.

There will be no need for a myki during these times, and if passengers do accidentally touch on, they will not be charged.

Public Transport will run all night on New Year’s Eve, and will run all night on weekends throughout 2016 as part of the Government’s Night Network trial.

Free Public Transport on New Year's Eve - Adelaide Metro (SA)

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closed Comments

  • Make it so on 08/12/2015 - 19:25
    +9

    I would change the title to "Free Public Transport", in case people start trying to book flights.

    • Normie on 08/12/2015 - 19:27
      +1

      Title changed :)

    • stumo on 08/12/2015 - 21:16

      speaking of flights, does this include any buses to the airport?

      • Da dpG on 08/12/2015 - 21:51
        +1

        PTV is separate to SkyBus

        • Normie on 08/12/2015 - 22:14
          +4

          You can catch the 901 Bus to Broadmeadows then the train into the city.
          Or the 478,479,482 to Airport West, then tram to Essendon then train to city.
          Go to http://ptv.vic.gov.au/ and use the journey planner, make sure you de-selected Sky Bus and you will get the fastest way into Melbourne without the Sky Bus.

        • JohnHowardsEyebrows on 09/12/2015 - 17:31

          @Normie: Yep, the 901 is a good bus to catch to the airport when you have time. The Essendon buses (some go to Essendon station, some you have to go to Airport West) are better if available (half as far from the city, but a similar bus trip length), but are very much sporadic.

          You just have to be OK going to Broadmeadows. X)

    • peterw1 on 31/12/2015 - 19:29

      seeing as tone, mal, kev and jules all flew on the BBJ which is owned by the public, I guess if it is parked in tullamarine we the taxpayer can use it for free on NYE. Maybe Bronnies chopper pilot will be at the joystick.

  • rubig on 08/12/2015 - 19:30

    But nothing opens on xmas day, including stupid markets.

    • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 19:34

      Christmas dinner in Melbourne CBD. Also, if you are flying in or out of Melbourne you can take the bus and trains into city

    • R1ngSt1nger on 08/12/2015 - 20:44

      Cinemas are always open (Village anyway)

    • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 23:07

      Just take the train anyway for a ride… a long journey out of Melbourne would be good for sightseeing.

  • zacsg1 on 08/12/2015 - 19:45

    so I could get the vline train to Wodonga from the city for free?

    • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 20:18

      If you're travelling on VLine, then you're deemed to be travelling within Victoria.

      Hence it's free, but as it will be an interurban service (as opposed to a commuter service) you'll need to make a reservation.

      • zacsg1 on 08/12/2015 - 20:21

        I was looking on vline and it still has the full prices up… might call them up tomorrow

        • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 20:23

          You'll need to make the reservation in person. Online reservations aren't free even on the publicised free days.

        • zacsg1 on 08/12/2015 - 20:44

          @KaptnKaos: ok thanks

        • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 23:01
          +1

          @zacsg1:

          It's very simple… Just visited any staffed (premium) station and they'll be able to tell you what services will be running on 25 Dec. Select the service and the number of tickets you'll need and you'll get the reservation there and then.

  • Normie on 08/12/2015 - 19:54

    Yes if you are travelling on Christmas Day or arriving in, or departing from, the city after 6pm on New Years Eve or on the first timetabled service on each V/line service leaving the City on New Year’s Day. Bookings are normally required for long distance trips on V/Line I would book as soon as possible so you can get a seat.

    • stickyfingers on 08/12/2015 - 20:17
      +5

      You're paying your taxes anyway. The more benefits, the better.

      • pmupsinep on 08/12/2015 - 20:19
        -7

        We could be paying less if they weren't giving us "free" stuff like this.

      • Lucky13 on 31/12/2015 - 18:32
        +1

        This 'sham' stunt is saving lives by limiting the amount of drink drivers on the roads. Sorry just thought I'd point out the positives

    • KaTst3R on 08/12/2015 - 20:19
      +8

      Some people are just so hard to please………………………………………………..

      • pmupsinep on 08/12/2015 - 20:19
        +1

        Please use more dots.

        • KaTst3R on 08/12/2015 - 20:20
          +6

          I'll do my best for you sir …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ok that is enough

        • AusNugz on 08/12/2015 - 22:04
          +1

          @KaTst3R: Careful those dots are burning into my taxpayer funded library monitor!

    • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 20:21
      +1

      Your username suggests you reside somewhere around the Carnegie/Glen Huntly area - so you're a local! :D

      But back on topic, free public transport on Christmas Day and the afternoon of NYE has been happening every year since at least 2009.

      In the initial year of conception, the free public transport was subsidised by ING Direct. Thereafter there has been no publicised sponsorship details, on the assumption that it's probably government funded from then on.

      • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 20:27
        -6

        Your point being?

        Taxpayers will fund transport for few who will use it. The rest if us will pay extra fow something we will not use. That is not a bargain, that is an extra cost.

        • jimbobaus on 08/12/2015 - 20:31

          yeah.. but they won't be funding full services, least on Xmas day anyways… last year the trains ran every 60-80 minutes depending on the line you were on.

        • frowny on 10/12/2015 - 00:01
          +1

          But more people on public transport means less people on the road which means less time taken for you to drive somewhere which means less petrol used which means you save money from this.

          Also you must be having it rough to have internet and be able to be on Ozbargain complaining about your taxes.

    • BattleSpunk on 08/12/2015 - 20:32
      +6

      Oh no, your extra minuscule amount of tax will go to helping someone less fortunate be able to visit their family for Christmas, 1st world problems.

    • dyziplen on 08/12/2015 - 20:46
      +1

      The services are running regardless, and Christmas Day is going to be pretty quite regardless. So why not offer it for free. Its Christmas after all.

      As to New Years Eve. Its to manage traffic into the city.

  • grabngo on 08/12/2015 - 20:33
    -1

    from what date is Myki card compulsory?

    • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 20:34
      +14

      From 2012.

    • Nillionaire on 08/12/2015 - 21:37
      +4

      And if you still want the precise date; Saturday 29th December 2012. :)

  • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 20:37

    3163's gone.

    No more trolls on ozbargain :(

    • ahly92 on 08/12/2015 - 21:31
      +2

      chat shit… get banged

      • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 22:59

        :S

  • sourdawg on 08/12/2015 - 21:18

    About what it's worth

    • gimli on 08/12/2015 - 21:42

      Not really

      I still prefer to drive.

      • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 23:13

        When you've got free (or cheap) parking and have a full car load of passengers, driving becomes more cost effective.

  • FutureTech on 08/12/2015 - 21:20
    +6

    How come this never happens to Sydney

    • gimli on 08/12/2015 - 21:41
      +8

      because sydnesians don't vote for governments based on getting extra public holidays and free train travel.

      • JohnHowardsEyebrows on 09/12/2015 - 17:34
        +1

        No…they vote for them based on beauty pageants and brown paper bag tricks.

    • Serapis on 08/12/2015 - 21:53
      +8

      Because we love congested roads and traffic jams

  • aacarrer on 08/12/2015 - 21:51
    +2

    Such a beautiful government!

    • arcticmonkey on 08/12/2015 - 22:39

      Andrews and Vic Labor are a breath of fresh air. The best premier we've had in ages. I say that as someone who didn't vote for him.

      • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 23:11
        -1

        Yeah, haven't heard of CFMEU and that John Setka in ages…

        • JohnHowardsEyebrows on 09/12/2015 - 17:35
          +3

          Somebody gets his view on life from the Herald Sun. :)

        • [Deactivated] on 31/12/2015 - 19:05
          +1

          @JohnHowardsEyebrows:

          The Herald Sun will sadly depose him soon, they're even blaming the east-west payout on him, as if the libs didn't rush to sign a contract pre-election. Cringe.

    • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 23:10
      +3

      This has happened since 2009, and it has survived through both Lib and Labor governments.

  • teasatotalling on 08/12/2015 - 22:32

    How long is Mildura to Melbourne?

    • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 23:08
      +16

      More or less the same as Melbourne to Mildura.

  • bargainslut on 08/12/2015 - 22:41
    -4

    They could offer free transport all year round if they like, I'd gladly welcome it. The government is broke anyway, may as well speed shit up:)

    http://www.australiandebtclock.com.au/

    Tick tock, the mouse ran round the clock….

    • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2015 - 23:09

      I thought the VIC government had a surplus…?

      • bargainslut on 08/12/2015 - 23:20

        I was referring to the government as a whole but thanks for the neg:)

        • [Deactivated] on 09/12/2015 - 00:17

          Thanks for the neg???

          I didn't neg… but I'll upvote you to balance it out :)

        • bargainslut on 09/12/2015 - 00:22

          @KaptnKaos: Thanks sweetcheeks:)

      • daydream on 08/12/2015 - 23:59
        +1

        Dodgy accounting based on the state government keeping the $1.5b from the Fed govt for the East-West link (yet not building it)!

        "In a hit to Labor's financial credibility, acting Auditor-General Peter Frost on Wednesday issued a rare "qualified" audit opinion of the budget. He concluded the budget was in fact in deficit by $286 million because the $1.5 billion of federal money had been wrongly factored into the bottom line."

        http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/victorias-budget-surplus-b…

        • bargainslut on 09/12/2015 - 00:06

          Excellent article, thank you for posting. I wonder if it was an 'honest' mistake, hehe.

  • fan8956 on 08/12/2015 - 23:17

    I always wanted to know, since trams in CBD are free, what happens if you accidentally touch on and touch off within CBD in a tram? If it won't charge your myki, then what about forgetting to touch off, coz it is not required to touch off when you get on a tram?

    • Normie on 08/12/2015 - 23:40
      +1

      If you touch on in the Free Tram Zone the myki system will still charge a 2 hour Zone 1+2 fare.

      PTV understands that as customers adjust to the change there will be some cases of an accidental touch on. Customers who accidentally touch on should touch off and then call the PTV Call Centre to request a reimbursement, bearing in mind it will take 24 hours for the trip to register on the system. Of course if customers have travelled on public transport outside the Free Tram Zone, then they are not entitled to a reimbursement.

  • DeafMutePretender on 08/12/2015 - 23:47

    Suppose you're an OzBargainer and you wanted to extract maximum value from this offer for the sake of savings and not because you needed to actually go anywhere. How would you do it? I guess taking a VLine train (+ return trip) would be compulsory since trips on those trains are more expensive.

  • mikedoug on 09/12/2015 - 04:10
    -1

    While they can configured not charging Myki even if you tapped on. It makes me wonder why they couldn't do the same for free tram zone (i.e. everybody tap their Myki but if you board and depart within Free Tram Zone the fare would be $0). Would it be on intention to caught people, especially the tourist off-guard to create more revenue?

    • zeromethod on 09/12/2015 - 07:58
      +1

      Because that would require a change in user behaviour, as myki doesn't know where you got off the tram until you touch off and travellers are always told that you don't need to touch off on a tram (unless you're only travelling within Zone 2)

  • RichieDuck on 09/12/2015 - 10:43
    +1

    be good if it was on boxing day to get to the sales

    • [Deactivated] on 09/12/2015 - 17:47

      The govt would lose hundreds of thousands if the free public transport was scheduled for Boxing Day. Considering the small quantity of passengers who would use public transport on Christmas Day, it makes perfect sense to make it free when the losses would be at a minimum.

  • rawm on 09/12/2015 - 10:57

    For someone who's on the fence about maybe heading into the CBD on Christmas Day (on a budget of course!) - I found this: http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/open-christmas-day#.VmdrpeOG…

  • [Deactivated] on 09/12/2015 - 12:02
    -1

    Without consultation with the people who live along the tram and rail lines he has decided to deprive us of sleep 2 nights a week running trams and their associated noise all night .Hasn't this fool heard of buses .Sure I'm going to hear all the hecklers about how we need 24 hour public transport which I'm not against but why not provide it via buses that are quiet by comparison with trains and trams This is supposed to be a Government for the people but in reality Andrews is just a mouth piece for the CMFEU

    • JohnHowardsEyebrows on 09/12/2015 - 17:37
      +1

      My friend, you are just a mouthpiece for the Herald Sun. That's the only media outlet pretending that Liberal rot is rooted in fact.

      p.s. Stay off the carphones. I heard what you called me.

  • LaTerrible on 31/12/2015 - 19:07

    Deal should be unpublished. There will almost certainly be insufficient stock.

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