Every child, every day: Free public transport across Victoria from 1 Jan

By Our Reporter
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Representational // Photo by Mitchell Johnson on Unsplash

From 1 January 2026, every child under 18 in Victoria will be able to ride public transport for free. Not just in Melbourne. Not just on weekdays. Every child. Every day. Everywhere.

This sweeping change, unveiled in the Allan Labor Government’s 2025/26 Budget, promises to give Victorian families one less financial headache at a time when the weekly shop, the energy bill, and even the weekend footy trip seem to come with rising costs. A typical yearly student pass costs $755. A family with three children might be forking out over $2,200 just so their kids can get to school and back. From next year, that cost vanishes.

And it isn’t a complicated voucher system or something that gets buried in paperwork. It’s a simple card: a new “youth myki” that works just like the current one. Tap on, hop on. No balance needed. No expiry date until the child turns 18.

There’s no carve-out for postcode or postcode lottery here. This isn’t limited to kids in zones 1 and 2. Whether you’re in Wodonga or Werribee, Mallacoota or Melbourne, Warrnambool or Wangaratta, your child can get on a tram, train, bus, or V/Line coach—and it won’t cost a cent. Even those living in non-myki areas are covered.

Premier Jacinta Allan summed it up in a sentence that may well be the catchphrase of this year’s Budget: “Free public transport for every child, every day, everywhere.”

More than a million young Victorians stand to benefit. The numbers are hard to ignore: a student without a yearly pass—buying daily fares four times a week—ends up spending $1,144 annually. That’s now cash that stays in the pocket of parents, guardians, and carers across the state. It’s the kind of policy that doesn’t just make headlines; it makes a weekly difference.

Gabrielle Williams, Minister for Public Transport, didn’t hold back either. “This will save so many struggling families thousands of dollars a year,” she said. Whether it’s weekend sport or school excursions, that familiar dread of digging out coins, checking balances, or copping a fine for a missed tap—gone.

The rollout isn’t in isolation. It’s part of a broader plan that’s already showing impact. The regional fare cap introduced by Labor in recent years has reportedly saved Victorians over $132 million. The Budget documents suggest this next step is more than a gesture—it’s a continuation of a transport affordability drive that’s gaining momentum.

Infrastructure is being beefed up alongside the policy shift. New underground stations will be part of the Metro Tunnel network when students start tapping their youth mykis for the first time in January. Turn-up-and-go services are also on the way for key corridors like Sunbury, Cranbourne, and Pakenham. Extra services are being added across the Werribee, Sandringham, Upfield and Craigieburn lines. And in places like Preston, local members are quick to highlight that this isn’t a standalone offering—it’s part of a coordinated push.

Nathan Lambert, Member for Preston, took the opportunity to tie it back to works in his own backyard. He rattled off the list: the upgraded 86 tram line, newly electrified Dysons and Ventura buses, and shiny train stations at Bell, Preston, and Keon Park. “Now we’re helping Darebin families with cost-of-living by making our buses, trams and trains free for children.”

It’s also a policy that feels hard to argue against. The idea that a student can hop on a train to the footy, a tram to the art gallery, or a bus to visit cousins in a neighbouring suburb without mum or dad calculating how much the ride will cost—it’s easy to see the broader social value. Travel is more than commuting. It’s a pathway to freedom, independence, and social connection. Now, it’s unshackled from price.

Lizzie Blandthorn, the Minister for Children, put it plainly: “Whether it’s travelling to the city, to regional Victoria or just around the corner to see family—we’re making it free for every child.”

And there’s a subtle philosophical shift here too. Public transport, long talked about as a service, starts to look a little more like a right—especially for those too young to drive, too small to pedal ten kilometres to school, or too far from footpaths to walk.

Of course, this is politics, and the framing is deliberate. Allan’s line—“Labor will cut public transport prices. Liberals will cut public transport projects”—sets the tone for an election run where mobility, fairness, and cost-of-living are going to be tightly bound. The policy is both budget measure and political marker: it’s an announcement, yes, but it’s also a provocation.

But for many families, what matters most won’t be who said what or why. It’ll be that next year, when their kid gets ready to head out the door, there’s one less thing to worry about—and one more place they can go, freely.

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