Expert pours cold water on free public transport push as petrol costs surge

A public transport expert has shot down a Victorian Greens idea to make public transport free temporarily in a bid to ease financial pressure as petrol prices surge.

Chair of public transport at Monash University’s Faculty of Engineering, Professor Graham Currie, says those who benefit will probably not be the people who need it most.

“The people that would be benefitting are often higher income people because they tend to be doing commuting and so forth, so I’m not too sure we need to subsidise it,” he told Ross and Russel.

“You won’t get too much ridership growth from it but it will certainly help some people, it’ll cost a lot of money as well.

“I don’t think this is that worth it.”

New Zealand has halved the cost of public transport and cut the fuel excise in response to petrol price hikes, while Tallinn in Estonia has offered free public transport for years.

Press PLAY below to hear why Professor Currie doesn’t support the idea