Fare Free Friday heralds new era for public transport system

Public transport passengers have begun using the new MyWay+ ticketing system this morning as the ACT Government announced the date for the start of Fare Free Fridays.

Transport Minister Chris Steel said that with MyWay+ now online, Canberrans could also expect free travel on buses and light rail every Friday starting from 6 December 2024.

“Fare Free Fridays was promised by Labor at the election as a one-year trial, and I’m pleased that with the introduction of the new ticketing service that we will be able to quickly deliver this commitment,” Mr Steel said.

“We believe this is going to be an effective way to encourage more people onto public transport while reducing transport costs for all Canberrans at a time when they need it most.

“Not only will the trial benefit Canberrans using public transport, it will also be a boost to local businesses by encouraging people into town centres on Fridays.”

People will be able to travel for free on all light rail services and bus services running from around 5:30 am to 11 pm, and light rail from 6 am to 1 am on Friday and into Saturday morning.”

Passengers will still be required to tap on and off each service to support data collection but will not be charged for the fare.

After six weeks of free public transport during the MyWay+ transition period, Canberrans are again paying but in a greater variety of ways.

They can now tap on and off with their Mastercard or Visa, use a MyWay+ card or use a digital ticket linked to the MyWay+ app. Old MyWay cards will no longer be accepted.

Mr Steel said this was a big change in how to use public transport, but nobody would be left behind in this ongoing transition period.

He said drivers and staff would take an educative approach in the first few weeks of the system.

“While the fare-free period has supported more than 20,000 people to already set up MyWay+ accounts, we want to allow everyone time to find out more information and understand the new system,” he said.

For the first time, people could now also track their service via the online real-time journey planner and the MyWay+ app.

Mr Steel said MyWay+ would continue to improve in the weeks ahead as more features are added and the app and systems were updated in response to customer feedback.

Updates were expected every few weeks and these would be applied automatically to any versions of the app people had already installed.

Mr Steel said a small number of buses would not have the MyWay+ hardware installed. These were scheduled for replacement by new battery electric buses in the coming weeks and months.

He said passengers on these buses would not be charged a fare for that particular trip but would need to resume tapping on any further journey and pay.

MyWay+ fares remain the same as they were under the previous MyWay system, and the fares incorporate banking-related fees and costs.

Mr Steel thanked everyone who had provided feedback over the past few weeks, particularly since the first version of the MyWay+ app went live and the account functionality went live.

“We know that change can be stressful,” he said.

“It is also a big change for how our drivers and staff, including call centre operators.

“I would ask that all Canberrans be respectful of our staff as we navigate this change together. Our drivers are also learning the system and they need to focus on driving safely.”

For more detailed information and to share feedback, visit the Transport Canberra website or call 13 17 10.