General News
9 June, 2026
Ararat rail gains hard to measure after free fares
VICTORIA’S free public transport initiative may be over, but questions remain about how much impact it had for Ararat passengers.
The Victorian Government’s two-month free public transport period ended on May 31, with half-price fares now in effect until the end of the year.
From June 1, passengers began paying half-price fares across Victoria’s public transport network, with the discount scheduled to remain in place until December 31.
Statewide, the government says more than 100 million public transport trips were recorded during April and May — a 17 per cent increase on the same period last year.
But while the Department of Transport and Planning says the Ararat Line proved popular during the free travel period, it did not provide figures showing what impact the initiative had locally.
“The Ararat Line proved popular across the free travel period and V/Line had standby coaches at key locations along the western corridor to provide more options for passengers,” a department spokesperson said.
The department also said more than 99 per cent of scheduled services on the Ararat Line were delivered during April and May.
The free travel initiative formed part of the Victorian Government’s cost-of-living package and was promoted as a way of reducing transport costs for households.
The Ararat Advocate asked the department whether passenger numbers on the Ararat Line increased during the initiative, whether patronage figures were available for Ararat Station or western Victorian services, and whether standby coaches were deployed in response to increased demand.
The department did not provide local patronage figures and did not respond to follow-up questions before deadline.
Patronage data during the free travel period was based on Myki gate reads, head counts conducted on V/Line trains and on-board passenger counters.
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