Yahoo Finance Commuters could save $32.20 per week under bold new plan
The NSW government has said it is considering making public transport free on Mondays and Fridays in an attempt to get workers back in the office.
Speaking after a summit on the future of the Sydney CBD, NSW treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the government isn't ruling out incentivising commuters to head into the office, news.com.au reported.
Perrottet said Mondays and Fridays have fewer commuters and the idea to make public transport free those days was floated at the summit.
“I'm very open to looking at ways we can incentivise public transport, particularly on Fridays,” Perrottet said.
“It clearly came through today, and as I said, we'll look at it.”
With an adult Opal card, the NSW travel card, a person can travel as much as they want on metro, train, bus, ferry and light rail services within the Opal network and never pay more than $16.10 a day, $50 a week or $8.05 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
This means that adult commuters travelling on Monday’s and Friday’s could see a saving of up to $32.20 each week under the plan.
Due to COVID-induced lockdowns many Australians have taken to work-from-home arrangements.
Business leaders have been looking for ways in which to bring workers back into the office, while also managing new expectations for flexible working arrangements.
The idea comes after senior Victorians were offered free public transport last month from 21 March to 28 March to encourage them to get out and about.
NSW recently further eased public transport capacity limits as the threat of COVID has been reduced through a lack of public transmission.
Capacity on buses, trains, light rail and ferries returned to 75 per cent capacity on city services while regional transport returned to full capacity.
The pandemic has seriously shifted how Australians work and live. A recent survey found that having a home office is now at the top of the list for those looking to purchase a home.
Most Aussies now demand their new home comes equipped with a study or work area, with this rated by 86 per cent of Aussies as moderately or much more important compared to pre-pandemic times.
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