The Metro Tunnel is opening – and to celebrate, we're making public transport free every weekend from opening day in early December to 1 February. Our way of saying thank you, Victoria.
Mod Update: From the day the Metro Tunnel opens on 30 November, public transport in Victoria will be free for everyone, every weekend until February 1 2026.
…..aaand how much are the fares going up next year?
I swear the folks living in the outer suburbs of the Mernda and Hurstbridge lines have spent a 1/3 of this year dealing with replacement buses
And most of it has been for stuff that doesn't actually improve their service (North East Link, derailed train)
Never mind Vic cannot afford this with the $billions they owe already
Nothing is for FREE
Someone must pay for this and its the tax payers of Victoria
Yep, free paid with our money taken from other services :-)
isnt it always free?
went for a holiday to Melb and the amount of people i saw not tap during the tram rides was straggering
In the CBD there's a free area which covers all the CBD and a little bit outside of it.
Must’ve been the free tram zone.
no this was well in the burbs, all the way into the city
Mate see nothing say nothing
Once you've tapped on once you technically have a valid ticket for at least 2 hours. You don't need to tap off on trams. Also after 6pm, a 2 hour ticket becomes valid until the last service of the day.
Or possibly people not paying as they usually dismiss fines if you actually bring it to court.
@neil: What you are saying is true if your team route is in just zone 1.
But if the tram route is both zone 1&2, if you don't tap off on a short trip, you will be charged the higher rate
@davebern: Don't need to tap off if you tap on in zone 1. Do need to tap off in zone 2 so you don't get charged zone 1 & zone 2.
Source. I mean it's pretty convoluted trying to remember all of these things. At least we got rid of zone 3.
If you're in the free tram zone in the CBD, you don't have to tap (in fact you shouldn't). Even outside the zone you only need to tap on, not tap off. Of course there's plenty who don't bother, but the fines are steep.
Many PT users don't realise that some trams are in 2 zones. If you are only travelling a short journey on these routes and you don’t tap off, Myki will charge you the default fare, which is the higher rate.
Yeah good point, though only applies if you start and finish solely in zone 2 which cuts out most of the tram network (at least that's what I remember, haven't done so in ages)
There are free tram zones in the major parts of the CBD.
I never used to tap on when I had a yearly pass.
Same, then. When there were inspectors, they would always say to me I have to tap on. I would just say why?
They are right. Tapping gives them usage data.
And yes, they can fine you for not tapping. And yes, you'd also likely get it overturned through appeal.
The trams are hard to enforce, I just stand by the reader with my card and tap on when I see an inspector (2-3 times a year). Most people are more brazen and just get off when they see one. The trains you can't really get away with it though. I'd tap on if it was cheaper, it costs me 11$ to get to work and back when I'm only on the tram for 10 minutes or so.
Wait until you get on suburban buses. Nobody taps and drivers don't say anything.
It's not the driver's job. Their job is to drive the bus, tram or train.
Seems to only be in Victoria.
@capslock: I haven't seen a bus driver say anything to anyone that hasn't tapped on since the Metcard days. Back then it was enforced like crazy, now no one seems to care unless the inspectors come onboard, then they suddenly become all "go get 'em!"
@capslock: I actually find it weird that people think it's the bus driver's job to enforce payment. Would you say the same thing of train and tram drivers?
There's also the safety aspect. If the passenger is brazen enough to walk straight past the bus driver without batting an eye, then there's a good chance the passenger would be ready to physically assault the driver if they dare to question the passenger. Safety first - it's not worth the risk of taking a beating or suffering a life-changing injury just for a few dollars.
@brotherfranciz: There was a time when you had to buy your ticket from the bus driver upon boarding the bus.
@brotherfranciz: From memory the bus drivers in Sydney were more proactive about enforcing people tapping on, not sure if that's changed?
Choosing not to tap on might feel harmless, but it can actually do more harm to our community. When fewer people tap, the government sees lower demand and ends up cutting bus routes. And the ones who get hurt most are low-income earners, students, and anyone who depends on buses as main transport.
So please do tap on if you can afford it.
It's hilarious to hear some BS about 98% tap on rates coming from the state govt, as if everyone in charge doesn't take it enough to empirically know that's false.
It's so hard to justify when it's $5.50 a trip. My PT use case usually involves a round trip that's 5-10 min max, so it just does not feel worth at all. If they went down Brisbane's 50c route, or even just halved the current cost, I probably wouldn't bother evading and they can collect their data.
@yoogz: Absolutely, you don't get to charge first class when your service level doesn't even reach economy
That's not necessarily true, for buses the driver has a button they press to count people who get on without tapping and for trams they have an automatic passenger counter above the doors.
@relteran: Now that all of the surrender bins (must be) full up, I hear that Jacinta has approved a few million extra $ for new machete detectors to be added to trains and trams, plus metal detectors at her new toy train stations…..🤔
[citation needed]
AO's on buses are overwhelmingly concentrated at major interchanges, especially universities like Monash and La Trobe, it's extremely rare you'll seem them anywhere else whilst riding a bus.
When I worked retail a few years ago at Doncaster and Chadstone I used to see them regularly, during Xmas their presence is quite prevelant too. I know during school holiday periods, they do blitzes at shopping centres.
You can buy tickets that are weekly/monthy/annual. Youre supposed to tap them on but nobody does.
Yep, coming from Sydney, I am always surprised to see how small the amount of passengers who tap on. Maybe 30% on trams, buses are like 10%. So I don't think this promotion is of anything special.
true mate, the transit officers in syd are like the stazi, in melb it seems like everyone skips paying
Some of the locals find it a bit hard to tap on with a ciggy in one hand and half empty $3.5 bottle of wine in the other.
Outside this promo, PT is currently only free…
* Free Tram Zone (Melbourne CBD & Docklands, occasionally extended to MCG / Melbourne Park)
* Early Bird Trains (tap on and off before 7:15 am on weekdays)
* Children under 4
* Seniors during the "Festival" (currently active from 5-12 October 2025)
* Seniors on Weekends (currently only in metro Zone 1/2 or two neighbouring regional zones)
* Veterans and War Widows from 24-26 April
* Christmas Day (3am to 3am Boxing Day) & New Year's Eve (6pm NYE to 6am NYD)
* Free Travel Pass/Voucher holders (Access Pass, War Widow Pass, etc.)
Will be free for under 18s starting next year
That's what you get for making the ticket 11$
Labor government:
Our way of saying thank you
Liberal government
Our way of saying you're welcome!
The Greens government:
Free transport, free dental, free Tibet, free Willy!
I wouldn't mind getting an extra willy. Need to vote for the Greens next.
Voting for Greens is basically voting in communism. Social security, state funded education, medicare, nbn internet, aus post, public transport and whatever the hell else they can think of having in state hands.
You're voting to decolonise ( whatever that means ) and free some Arabs who started a fight they couldn't finish
Social security, state funded education, medicare, nbn internet, aus post, public transport
Seems like a pretty good list to me 🤷
Don't you want any of those things ?
isn't Auspost & NBN already owned by the government
Labor Government
Our way of reminding you we give handouts when we haven't bankrupted the state
Fun fact - 1/4 of your state taxes go to paying off debt interest.
Not even close. Maybe try reading the budget rather than taking whatever you find on social media as gospel if you're so interested in the states financial position.
Looking at this year's budget, the total interest bill is $7.5 billion, while the state expects to collect $41.7 billion in taxes.
So therefore, one out of every five dollars of our tax money is spent just on servicing that debt. That's equals roughly a fifth..
How are you so confidently wrong?
HAHAHA either you don't know what you're talking about, or you're being INTENTIONALLY MISLEADING.
In reality, interest payments are ~7% of the State's annual revenue and income.
Refer to page 7 of Budget Paper 4 for the 25-26 State Budget.
Total revenue and income from transactions is $108b. Your $41b figure excludes GST, grants from the commonwealth (consider the fuel excise as an example), other forms of revenue etc., and is misleading for the purpose of representing % of State revenue dedicated towards taxes.
@HentaiEnjoyer: I actually find yours more misleading, including $53B of grants when those above were referring to taxation.
@HentaiEnjoyer: Ok thanks
And on reflection, it is misleading to suggest 20%/a quarter goes to the interest on the debt.
Yes $7.5 billion is 18% of $41.7 billion. That's all. Using the original logic one could also say 14% of the grant services the debt and none of the $41.7 billion does.
Should be looking at the full picture.
@HentaiEnjoyer: Did you just say that I don't know what I'm talking about, then proceed to have no idea what you are talking about?
We are talking about state taxes, and your response is to highlight revenue (not tax income) and include federal taxes (not state taxes).
State taxes are taxes the state collects (property / land tax, business / employment taxes, transport taxes). Anything above that is other government taxes. Everything you just listed above are all federal government taxes (GST, fuel excise, grants from fed gov).
So everything you just said is either purposefully misleading or categorically wrong. Everything you accused me of.
Your projection is so strong, I could watch a movie on it.
@diggityfish: Allow me to explain why you're being misleading, since it's needed. The original comment relating to State debt flagged that "1/4 of your state taxes go to paying off debt interest", and "Yay, finally something to show for all the debt."
It's clearing, clearly misleading on the serviceability of this debt, a quarter or a fifth is significantly more than 7% of the State's funding capacity. There is no reason to strictly refer to State tax receipts in considering the serviceability of debt, other than to make an ingenious representation.
And of course, Victorians pay both federal and state taxes.
@HentaiEnjoyer: You completely misunderstood what was discussed, then came out with strong opinions with misleading information pertaining to this issue.
The subject was and always was STATE TAXES.
You were wrong, you don't know what you are talking about and now you look like the fool that you are desperately trying to shift the goal posts to 'serviceability' which no one was discussing.
Fact are facts, regardless of your opinion on them.
Looking at this year's budget, the total interest bill is $7.5 billion, while the state expects to collect $41.7 billion in taxes.
So therefore, one out of every five dollars of our tax money is spent just on servicing that debt. That's equals roughly a fifth..
How are you so confidently wrong?
The goalposts are shifting so fast even the grass must be dizzy.
I confidently stated that a quarter - or 25% - of state taxes do not go to paying debt interest. Leaving aside that the state has other sources of revenue that it can service the debt with, the misleading numbers you provided only add up to 18%.
Thanks for looking at the budget and pointing out that it backs up my comment.
@ezzaf: You said it was not even close. Then encouraged everyone to read the budget papers rather than regurgitating social media content.
It was close, very close indeed. Had you read the budget papers yourself, you would know this.
Now you are trying to spin your comment into a blanket rejection of the figure, instead of suggesting it's 'not even close' (when it was). Which is in fact moving the goalposts to fit your narrative.
Perhaps your own advice was the best to act on in this instance?
@diggityfish: Even accepting your interpretation the interest bill would need to be $10.4 billion rather than $7.5 billion.
Yes I would say a difference of $2.9 billion dollars is 'not even close'.
@ezzaf: You didn't challenge the $ amount you contended the %. Very different argument and deeply disingenuous of you to again try and shift the goalposts.
Something worth trillions could be 1% off and be off by tens of billions, but on percentage we would still consider that close.
Yet another failed attempt at spinning your initially wildly incorrect statement. You were wrong, and that's ok.
@diggityfish: You're arguing about something that is subjective - to you, 1% is close but it's just an arbitrary number you picked to define what constitutes 'close'.
I mean, imagine applying your definition to interest rates - a rate rise of 1% would be nothing to worry about based on your definition!
@brotherfranciz: The conversation was talking in percentages, and within the context of state taxes. There is no lack of clarity here. We had context and specifics.
Therefore, subjectivity is irrelevant as we know what we were talking about.
Don't let a rounding error get in the way of standing with Dan ey
It's correct mate. How about you do the reading?
Regardless I was simply celebrating we finally got something in exchange for once.
For the last 10 years all Vic gov has done is burn billions into the red with nothing to show for it.
For the last 10 years all Vic gov has done is burn billions into the red with nothing to show for it.
WTF, have you somehow missed the gazillion rail crossing removals, the gigantic sky rail tracks, the metro train tunnel, the north east link and the westgate tunnel ?!?!
The amount of new infrastructure in the last 10 years is absolutely COLOSSAL.
@Nom: Yeah… I have actually because half of those aren't anywhere near complete and will go further into over budget.
You'll die of old age and future generations will still be paying off those meagre upgrades.
Victoria will be the broke ass state for the next century letting infrastructure and services deteriorate from all the cuts that will be needed to recover the budget. You're already seeing it.
@jaimex2: What a strange post.
I'm sorry, but if you're going to join the debate then at least do some basic reading so you understand the main points first.
In fact, one of those projects still has some way to go, the North East Link. The rest are either done or opening soon.
Meagre upgrades ? We're talking about over 100 billion dollars of work over the last decade. This is most definately not "meagre" by any definition. These projects are all absurdly massive.
Letting infrastructure deteriorate ? This entire conversation is about the 100 billion dollars of new infrastructure that's been built to address the shortfalls. This is the opposite of deterioration.
You wouldn't just go on the internet and lie, would you?
2025/2026 State Budget Papers —- Budget Paper 5: Statement of Finances, literally first section executive summary.
I was able to find this in a few seconds on my stupid phone. Do better.
The total interest bill is $7.5 billion, while the state expects to collect $41.7 billion in taxes.
That's 18c out of every dollar…..
What are you seeing here that others can not?
Well, for starters, that's less than 1/5 - not 1/4.
@diggityfish: I completely disagree - 25% vs 18% is a significant difference when we're talking billions of dollars. Drive-by posts throwing out made-up figures are never helpful.
@Snakey Chook: Not when the next worst state sits at about 11% and the rest are around 4-9%.
Vic is almost double the next state and 3 or 4 x many others.
Whether it's 18% or 25% Vic is significantly worse than every other state and Victorians should absolutely be alarmed.
To me, that's a distinction without a difference.
@diggityfish: Ah - so you believe facts and nuance aren't important, as long as your narrative is being pushed. I'll look for reasonable discussion elsewhere.
@Snakey Chook: I literally just gave you additional facts and a broader context, which is the nuance.
That ignores the grants provided from the Feds.
Those grants include the GST that is collected by the Feds who agreed that 100% goes go states hence it is a state tax with a federal middle man (good old fashion John Howard liberal corporate politics)
As a previous commentator stated, ends up being under 1/10 of the total budget
@Some Random Guy: Correct, when talking about state taxes it would be absurd to include federal taxes.
Therefore it is 18c out of every dollar spent on interest. More than double the average of every other state.
@diggityfish: If bill tells fred that he'll give him x amount of dollars for free, but he has to count it first before handing over, i would say it's reasonable to assume those dollars are fred's, i.e. fred can work his budgeting with those dollars in mind.
Otherwise we could narrow the budget down to "xyz% of funds allocated to loans went toward interest payments". Like yes it's correct but not the whole picture
@Some Random Guy: Not if Bill said this money is from X stream, when the money comes from Y. It would be lying to say that all the money for XY came from X.
Being correct is all that matters when you defined the parameters of the 'whole picture' very clearly from the first encounter.
Fun fact - you’re not very smart
Fun fact, the cost of the Victorian Public Service hasn't really gone down even though they flogged off Vicroads and administration of property titles, because of all the spin doctors they've hired to keep people like yourself believing propaganda
Yeah the Morrison government froze federal funding for Victoria when he realised we wouldn't vote for him, so the state had to pick up the slack.
Or how about when Julia Gillard slashed $1b from the Victorian budget in 2013 when the Lib/Nats got back in as she was propping up John Brumby, and then her and Plibersek lied about hospital funding cuts and were proven they were liars in front of the media?
Now make fares 50c on weekdays
Nothing like buying votes by sending crumbs to the peasants
Victorians actually fall for it too.
Bread and circuses
Oh wait this government is also providing infrastructure
Ig we can define everything under bread and circuses and we'll just call infrastructure bread and circuses
This is nothing but a distraction to take the focus away from the annual fare increase on 1 Jan.
just melbourne's fare increases over these 3 years are more than the whole ticket prices of vast majority of public transports in the world.
Will this free travel also apply to the V-Line train services?
![[VIC] Free Public Transport on Weekends (from 30 Nov 2025 to 1 Feb 2026) @ Transport Victoria](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/82/927582.jpg?h=15c8b7bc)
Oh amazing I can’t wai-..
Nevermind Hurstbridge line is down for December 🫠