Thursday, 30 July 2026

 Sonja TERPSTRA (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:16): (2652) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Public and Active Transport, and the action I seek is for the minister to update me on ridership levels in the North-Eastern Metropolitan Region and the uptake of these very impactful cost-of-living measures that I am about to outline. The numbers speak for themselves: a full daily fare cap that was $11.40 is now $5.70. Concession holders who were already paying $5.70 now pay just $2.85. For a regular commuter, that adds up to a saving of more than $850 between now and the end of the year. For families and low-income earners who rely on public transport, this is real money in their pockets at a time when they need it the most. And importantly, this is not complicated – passengers do not need to fill out any forms or download any apps; they just tap on and then get on their way. This follows two months of free public transport, a measure that helped hundreds of thousands of Victorians while fuel prices remained high. Half-price fares continue that commitment through to 1 January 2027 as part of the broader package that includes a 20 per cent rebate on vehicle registration. I ask the minister to update me on the ridership levels and uptake of these cost-of-living measures in the North-Eastern Metropolitan region.