The Andrews Labor Government will provide free public transport on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day to make sure Victorians can celebrate and reconnect with family and friends across the state.
On Christmas Day, metropolitan and regional public transport will run to a regular public holiday timetable and will be free from 3am until 3am on Boxing Day, with Night Network services running through the night, an official press release said.
Passengers using a myki are not required to touch on and off and will not be charged if they do. Passengers on V/Line services still need to book their travel on reserved services, but will be issued a ticket free of charge.
As Victorians welcome in the new year after a challenging 2020, all train, tram and bus services will also be free from 6pm on 31 December until 6am on 1 January.
With COVIDSafe plans in place and limits on gathering sizes applying Melburnians are encouraged to avoid the city—and to plan ahead and pre-book venues to ensure everyone can celebrate safely. Crowd numbers in the CBD are expected to be significantly reduced, with no large fireworks or public celebrations planned.
With people expected to celebrate more locally, public transport will continue across the network all night on New Year’s Eve, ensuring everyone can get back home safely. A normal weekday public transport timetable will be in place between 6pm and midnight, with additional services after midnight.
Metropolitan trains will run to a 15-minute frequency between midnight and 1am, a 30-minute frequency between 1am and 2am, and every hour from 2am. On the tram network, most services will operate all night—running to a 15 to 20-minute frequency between midnight and 2am, and every 60 minutes from 2am.
In addition to free travel during the festive season, the Labor Government will not increase public transport fares in 2021—in recognition of the difficult year Victorians have had.
All myki and regional fares and passes will remain at their 2020 rates next year to ease the financial pressure on Victorian families and encourage people to return to the public transport network into the new year.
Face masks must be worn at all times on public transport, the release added.
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