This was posted 1 year 16 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

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[WA] Free Public Transport for all SmartRider Users from 24/12/23 through 28/01/24 @ Transperth

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[WA] Free Public Transport for all SmartRider Users from 24/12/23 through 28/01/24 @ Transperth
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rith on 15/12/2023 - 10:55 wa.gov.au (1260 clicks)
Last edited 15/12/2023 - 14:34 by 1 other user

Also reported in The West Australian

Public transport across WA will be free for five weeks in a much-needed cost-of-living reprieve handed to families just ahead of Christmas.Public transport across WA will be free for five weeks in a much-needed cost-of-living reprieve handed to families just ahead of Christmas.

Premier Roger Cook will on Friday announce the waiving of all fees for government-operated buses, trains and ferries from December 24 until January 28.

[..]

The only requirement to be eligible for free public transport in both Perth and across regional WA is to possess a SmartRider card.

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closed Comments

    • rith on 15/12/2023 - 11:00
      +2

      I suppose you're right, I've removed the tag. Although if you're using PT you should already have one.

        • z28 on 15/12/2023 - 12:00
          +4

          As long as it's free for me, i am ok with that. It's better if jv has to pay to be free.

          • jv on 15/12/2023 - 12:03
            -1

            @z28:

            It's better if jv has to pay

            Why?

            • Ehty on 15/12/2023 - 12:14

              @jv: You have to pay for flight tickets to avail this free offer.!

              • jv on 15/12/2023 - 12:25
                -1

                @Ehty:

                You have to pay for flight tickets

                Why?

                • ccir on 16/12/2023 - 02:42
                  +4

                  @jv: Just shut up and eat your fries

                  • jv on 16/12/2023 - 02:42
                    -1

                    @ccir: Nah….

    • Alistair79 on 15/12/2023 - 13:54
      +28

      Thats like saying that a free PC game isnt free because you have to buy a PC to use it.

      • jv on 15/12/2023 - 13:55
        -6

        No really… You can still get the free game without owning a PC…

        • Alistair79 on 15/12/2023 - 14:00
          +3

          You also "get" the free travel, you just cant use it without a smart rider.

          • jv on 15/12/2023 - 14:19
            -1

            @Alistair79:

            You also "get" the free travel

            Nope, can't receive it without the card.

            • Alistair79 on 15/12/2023 - 15:15

              @jv: You're making my head hurt, you win!

            • Charlie Dont Surf on 15/12/2023 - 15:43

              @jv: That sounds categorical, but it's not true in reality.

            • z28 on 15/12/2023 - 17:00
              +7

              @jv: I see lot of people getting free travel without card at the moment, especially if a group of them running through the gate at the same time.

    • No on 15/12/2023 - 15:11
      +4

      People post freebies all the time that have some purchase required at some point. For example to claim free iOS app's you have to have purchased a device at some point.

      • jv on 15/12/2023 - 15:15
        -1

        For example to claim free iOS app's you have to have purchased a device at some point.

        No, you just need an icloud account which is free.

        • No on 15/12/2023 - 15:16
          +1

          And how would you use the apps?

          • jv on 15/12/2023 - 15:18
            -3

            @No: You own the apps forever….

            You can use them on any device, even a free one…

        • fastnbulbous on 15/12/2023 - 22:28
          +3

          You need to have purchased a computer or mobile to access the internet ? Or get a (free?) bus to the local library to use the internet there?

    • T Man on 15/12/2023 - 18:49
      +1

      booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

    • Doyen on 15/12/2023 - 20:21

      Students do not have to pay for a smartrider. I was given one free recently as the woman at the transperth service desk said the system is being phased out. So 100% free.

    • skittlebrau on 24/12/2023 - 11:54

      Free for students.

    • AustriaBargain on 24/12/2023 - 12:14
      +1

      You’re exempt from this deal jv, smartriders only.

      • jv on 24/12/2023 - 18:55
        -1

        The name is sarcastic

  • hawkeye93 on 15/12/2023 - 11:02

    So you still need to tag on (with no charge)?

    • rith on 15/12/2023 - 11:07
      +11

      That appears to be the implication. Makes sense if so, as they'd still want data on usage/patronage of the PT network which they wouldn't get if people just didn't tag on.

    • coxymla on 15/12/2023 - 11:09
      +2

      Yes, same as the free Sundays and free travel for people affected by train station shutdowns.

    • muddytyre on 16/12/2023 - 16:19

      I think so, probably to monitor the numbers

    • pebee47 on 24/12/2023 - 11:14

      Same as Seniors off-peak free travel.They need accurate usage stats

  • coxymla on 15/12/2023 - 11:10
    -2

    The free six months travel for people on the Armadale line gets worse and worse!

    • Phatc69 on 15/12/2023 - 12:23
      +1

      Wondering if the people who neg here are from Perth?
      I would agree the impact on commuters using that line have doubled their travel time.

      • jlogic on 24/12/2023 - 12:24

        Can't have progress without some level of pain… I have been driving the Tonkin Gap for the past three years… that is a pain in the ass at the moment but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

        I for one is happy that this level of investment is being made on the train lines. The stations down the Armadale line need to be refreshed and modernised.

        Also I will be glad that the level crossings are going… the Oats street and Welshpool ones in the morning…. ding ding ding and you wait and wait and wait.

        If they get rid of the Guildford road one that would be beautiful too haha.

  • jonathonsunshine on 15/12/2023 - 12:37
    +1

    Meanwhile in Brisbane, all the trains are shutting down from Dec 22nd till Jan 14th to do work on Cross River rail. :_(

    • derrko on 15/12/2023 - 12:47

      Doesn't translink usually have free public transport around this time for SE QLD?

      • jonathonsunshine on 15/12/2023 - 18:30

        No, not all the years I've lived here. Maybe on New Year's Eve… as long as you don't catch the train lol

    • muddytyre on 16/12/2023 - 16:20

      We have a whole train line shut down here in Perth

      • coxymla on 16/12/2023 - 20:35

        For two years.

  • freoleo on 15/12/2023 - 12:46
    +4

    Weird time to do this when we lost our whole train line

    Do we get a 5 week extension on our free 6 months?

    Going to cost double for transport once those 6 months expire then factor in it takes longer too

    • Charlie Dont Surf on 15/12/2023 - 13:18
      +1

      Why is transport on your line going to cost double in six months time?

      • freoleo on 15/12/2023 - 22:26

        Extra travel to get to another line now, fuelling up every week versus every 3 weeks

        Bus wasn't a solution, delays are wild and sometimes the busses just don't come, am now travelling a much further distance to get to the train station, have noticed a lot in the same situation (through work or just remembering faces from the old train line lol)

        • muddytyre on 16/12/2023 - 16:20
          -2

          The bus isn't that much of a delay

          • coxymla on 16/12/2023 - 20:36
            +1

            @muddytyre: Disagree; it takes quite a bit longer than the train did, in my experience.

            And the Cannington bus depot is now in a really inconvenient spot, with no parking allocated, so it takes even longer to get to there to catch the bus in the first place.

          • freoleo on 17/12/2023 - 11:41

            @muddytyre: I'm end of the line so it basically doubles the trip

    • reecho on 15/12/2023 - 14:13

      You are assuming it won't continue past 6 months.

      • freoleo on 15/12/2023 - 22:27

        They announced it was only 6 months, can't see them giving us more tbh

    • kokomo1978 on 15/12/2023 - 16:06

      Agreed. I think they should give us an additional month.

  • eecchhoo on 15/12/2023 - 13:30

    I think need to put on the title for smart rider holder will get the free ride.

  • [Deactivated] on 15/12/2023 - 13:41
    +3

    I'm more than happy to pay for transit, and considering that transperth prices are markedly cheaper than both Sydney and melbourne, I don't particularly understand the benefit of this. I mean, transperth itself is already heavily subsidised.

    Also they have massively cut prices this year, capping fares at two "zones", whereas previously fares could hit maybe 8 or 10 zones? I don't remember the specifics, but it's been a huge cost savings for me.

    Overall, sure this free transit is a nice thing to have, but the cost to run has to come from somewhere. In WA profits from electricity and water (which are state owned) will have to increase to offset this, so I have no clue how this is going to "help with the cost of living". Something like this is never truly free. Would make more sense to just offer weekends for free indefinitely if they want to encourage more use, as commuters who use transperth to get to work during the week already use the system, whereas people looking to go to the shops or whatever on the weekend would be more likely to consider buses / trains.

    /rant

    • Ladcake on 15/12/2023 - 13:47
      +3

      Its already so subsidized we should just make it free network wide all the time.

      • bargaino on 15/12/2023 - 20:20
        +2

        You still want tickets at peak time. It will help spread the load.

        • greater mimic on 16/12/2023 - 01:01

          spread the load to where?

          • bargaino on 16/12/2023 - 11:44

            @greater mimic: off-peak, duh! So people who don't need to travel peak are incentivised to go earlier or later.

            • greater mimic on 17/12/2023 - 00:14

              @bargaino: Ok yeah that makes sense. But I feel like maybe more busses and trains could just be ran instead?

              • pebee47 on 24/12/2023 - 11:19

                @greater mimic: There is a limit to the number of trains that can be run per hour on train lines.

    • Charlie Dont Surf on 15/12/2023 - 13:49
      +1

      I have no clue how this is going to "help with the cost of living"

      Really?

      • [Deactivated] on 15/12/2023 - 13:57
        +3

        profits from electricity and water (which are state owned) will have to increase to offset this

        People have been complaining about utility prices a lot here. They are state owned services. Profits from them go to other areas in the state. Feel free to check out the annual profit report here but if you can't be bothered reading it, profits for the year of 2023 were $946 Million. Western Power is also hugely profitable.

        There is no free lunch. Cheaper (free) transit must be paid for by someone. In this case, WA residents are paying for it via ridiculous water rates. In my household, water usage is flat from two years ago but bills have gone between 3 and 4x.

        My question to you would be, what would be more beneficial to households with regards to the cost of living? Free public transit (which bear in mind, is already one of the cheapest systems to use between all the other states in Aus), OR, significantly cheaper utility bills?

        • Charlie Dont Surf on 15/12/2023 - 14:47
          +3

          Well-argued post with good discussion.

          Why do profits from one state-owned asset have to increase to offset a loss on a completely different state-owned asset? They are separate "utilities" each with their own unique characteristics, investment requirements, underlying patterns of demand, pricing power etc. It's not as if state-owned assets, in aggregate, have to operate at some kind of zero-sum game or similar, as your post seems to imply, if I've understood it correctly.

          There will always be cross-subsidisation in a complex government services program - some likely to 'always' be profitable, some likely to 'always' run at a loss. Sure, in an ideal world, they'd all break-even and adjust prices to achieve that end. But that's unrealistic. I prefer to look at the general government revenue pie as a whole (property taxes, mining taxes, payroll taxes, profits from state-owned assets etc), and if the budget overall allows it, then providing a subsidised service back to the community is a good thing - especially if it can achieve other policy objectives as well!

          I'd be better off with lower utility rates, compared with free transport. FWIW, we've received rebates on electricity bills in the past couple of years. There's a broader discussion of the social/environmental benefits from greater public transport usage, but that's a whole another topic.

        • Charlie Dont Surf on 15/12/2023 - 15:02

          In my household, water usage is flat from two years ago but bills have gone between 3 and 4x.

          This one intrigued me, so I had a look at my own Water Corporation bills for November 2021 vs November 2023. (If relevant, I'm an inner-suburb resident in what some people would say is a "posh" suburb.)

          November 2021
          Service charge: $45
          Sewerage & Drainage: $275
          Usage: $1.859 per kl

          November 2023
          Service charge: $47
          Sewerage & Drainage: $282
          Usage: $1.953 per kl

          • Phantomsurfr on 15/12/2023 - 16:55

            @Charlie Dont Surf: Here's my bill.

            March 2021

            Usage:
            T1 $1.8270/kL
            T2 $2.4340/kL
            Service Charge:
            $44.18 period or $265.08 pa

            November 2023

            Usage:
            T1 $1.9530/kL (^6.89%)
            T2 $2.602/kL (^6.9%)
            Service Charge:
            $47.10 period or $282.59 pa (^6.6%)

            2 1/2 years difference. It's moving at a standard yearly rise.

            @rtuyvubhijnk I'm not sure where we are paying 3-4 x more?

        • bargaino on 15/12/2023 - 20:25

          Last I checked, electricity is subsidised in WA, while water rates contribute to state revenue.

        • Drakesy on 24/12/2023 - 12:31

          Western power is a turd of an entity that just uses its monopolistic might to do the bare minimum. 1-2 year delays just to get a house hooked up…

          Thanks guys

          At least watercorp has their sh1t together even if they pay excessive wages

    • kerfuffle on 15/12/2023 - 15:13
      +4

      transperth prices are markedly cheaper than both Sydney and melbourne

      Especially when catching the train to the airport. Was pleasantly surprised that it was only $5 one way from Perth city to the airport (whereas it's about $20 one way both in Sydney and Melbourne)

      • hugamuga on 15/12/2023 - 16:29

        Melbourne is about $5 as well if you use the bus+tram or bus+train option. of course it's very poorly advertised and way slower.

    • mrpickle on 15/12/2023 - 15:17
      +4

      Done for the perception that they are doing things to help with the cost of living. This period wouldn't really be a busy period for public transport as most offices close down for a few weeks and people take holidays.

      • z28 on 15/12/2023 - 17:20

        Not a perception in my case. I work through the holiday season, except for few public holidays. Transport is around $40 a week.

        • rmk on 15/12/2023 - 17:54

          Same - not a perception for me either. I am on leave part of the time but am still expecting to use transport most of if not all of the days and I’ll be looking at a saving a minimum of $300.

        • PappaLuigi on 15/12/2023 - 23:00
          +3

          Missing the point, if it was genuine it would be during school, not on school vacation when most people are off and people on PT are prob half of what it is.. they are full of it

    • z28 on 15/12/2023 - 16:55

      Something to do with this: https://www.ourstatebudget.wa.gov.au/2023-24/highlights.html

    • sub102 on 16/12/2023 - 23:11

      I don't know about Sydney or Melbourne prices, but for me it is very expensive. More than $5 for 2 zones one way adding up to around $10 a day if you travel back and forth for work every week day making it more than $200 per month which is ridiculously expensive

  • kokomo1978 on 15/12/2023 - 16:04
    +1

    Not a huge complaint, but I can't make any use of this deal as I already have public transport for free for 6 months on transperth due to my train line being shut down for 18 months. Hopefully they offer me another free month, fingers crossed.

  • Drakesy on 15/12/2023 - 18:11

    GOD BLESS ROGER

  • roberto7 on 15/12/2023 - 18:24
    +5

    good time to test/swap over to the new credit/debit card payment system

    • DH on 15/12/2023 - 18:59
      +1

      I think that is what they may be doing in the background without getting hopes up

  • sydneybargainer on 15/12/2023 - 21:11
    +1

    I think all states have free public transport promo of some sort except nsw.

    • kerfuffle on 15/12/2023 - 23:38

      Rip the 555

  • Purkulator on 19/12/2023 - 15:58

    So do we need to have a smart rider card before or during the promotional period?
    Asking because I am moving there during that time and wondering if I'll be eligible?

    • rith on 19/12/2023 - 16:01
      +1

      You can acquire a SmartRider card at any time (see link in OP to find out how), as long as you have one.

  • Sebajun on 24/12/2023 - 08:29

    Does it work for dumb people too?

    • paaj on 25/12/2023 - 13:19

      No, they still drive into the city

  • Top G on 24/12/2023 - 11:17

    Mark McGowan 👏👏👏

    • Drakesy on 24/12/2023 - 12:37

      *roger cooke

  • pebee47 on 24/12/2023 - 11:30

    Useful for Seniors doing a casino run from Mandurah. Won't have to wait outside station until 9am.😁

  • Kawaii on 24/12/2023 - 12:29

    You actually need the balance of $10 or more on smart rider to be able to tag on.

    But they won’t deduct money from you

    • apptrack on 28/01/2024 - 09:01

      I haven’t experienced this, it goes into negative if your starting balance is low.

    • bonezAU on 28/01/2024 - 12:35

      No you don't. I have autoload set up and it doesn't deduct anything from my bank account until the balance falls below $5.

      Even without autoload, you will go into a negative balance if you exceed the amount on the card. Having everything capped at 2 zones, you would only be able to go ~$5 into the red anyway.

  • vee_el on 24/12/2023 - 12:31

    I understand you need to buy a smart rider card for $10 to use this deal but can you buy it without the $10 minimum credit? I think usually the cost is $20 ($10 for the card and $10 for the credit. All of which is non refundable).

    • bonezAU on 28/01/2024 - 12:36

      AFAIK you don't have to purchase $10 credit when you buy the card, that's usually just what is suggested to you when you buy the card at a kiosk/Transperth office.
      You can buy Smartriders now in the new vending machines, not sure if they are rolled out to all stations or not yet but when I walked past the new machine at Warwick the other day I noticed there was an option to buy a Smartrider card.

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