Hundreds of public transport passengers fined for no ticket during Labor’s free summer travel period

More than 1100 train and bus passengers have been hit with ticket fines during Labor’s free public transport summer. Finishing on Wednesday, the summer ran from December 14, including the opening of the new Ellenbrook line, and saw 13 million boardings across the network. But 1153 patrons were slugged a $100 fine for failing to tag on with their SmartRider, a requirement under the free travel period. The figures were down on the 2023-24 summer of free public transport from almost 4000, with the Public Transport Authority saying they believed passengers had grown accustomed to the need to tag on during the fare-free period. “Comprehensive advertising and increased awareness has seen an uptake in passengers using SmartRider cards during the free travel period,” a spokeswoman said. “As was advertised comprehensively, free travel was accessible only with a SmartRider. “Patronage data captured by SmartRider is essential in helping the PTA run the network efficiently, and identify patrons if there is a security issue.” The fines have been a thorny issue for Labor as it seeks to campaign on the free travel periods, with Liberal leader Libby Mettam announcing a policy to overturn and payback the fines if they are elected. While the Government has announced it will cap all suburban fares at $2.80 if re-elected, the Greens announced a plan to make Perth’s public transport network “free and frequent”. Greens MP Brad Pettitt said the party would seek to force Labor’s hand on free public transport in Government through the balance of power in the upper house. “Investing in free and frequent public transport is a transformative way to make Perth much less car-dependent and much more sustainable as our population grows into the future,” Mr Pettitt said. But the proposal was slammed by Premier Roger Cook who said the Greens were “a slogan”. “The Greens are a slogan. They’re not a political party. They simply say anything that comes to their mind because they think it sounds good, but they’ll never be held accountable for the costs associated with their policies,” he said. “They simply come up with an idea and say it, ‘Stick it on a bumper sticker’, and think that’s a system of public policy. It’s not. They’re simply a slogan.”