A change of government will deliver people living in the Electorate of Lane Cove relief from increases in public transport costs under a NSW Liberal/Nationals’ plan to freeze fares for the first term of a NSW Liberal/Nationals Coalition Government,” Anthony Roberts MP, Member for Lane Cove said today.

“For twelve years the commuters of the Electorate of Lane Cove have had to deal with Labor’s public transport failures. Labor’s public transport legacy is hot, overcrowded trains and buses, fewer, later and slower services and ferries that lurch from one crisis to the next.”

“Labor has also forced the commuters to pay more through regular increases in public transport fares while services have continued to get worse. In short, under Labor, public transport commuters are paying more and getting less.”

“I am pleased that Peter Debnam has recognised the importance of giving the long-suffering commuters of the Electorate of Lane Cove a fair go,” Mr Roberts said.

To restore value back into public transport Peter Debnam and the Liberals will:

·        Immediately freeze all public transport fares on day one of a NSW Liberal/Nationals Coalition Government. This will include all public buses, trains and ferries, and all CountryLink services.

·        Guarantee there will be no increase in public transport fares for the first term of a NSW Liberal/Nationals Coalition Government.

·        Guarantee there will be no fare increases in our second term unless justified by an improvement in service as measured by our recently announced ‘Late is Late’ performance measures as well as other relevant performance criteria such as safety, and cleanliness.

“After twelve years of Labor’s failures, our public transport system will not be fixed overnight. However we will get on with the job from day one to deliver real improvements in transport services in our first term. Only after we have improved services do we believe it’s fair to go to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART), the body that oversees public transport fares, to seek any fare increase.” 

“Under a NSW Liberal/Nationals Coalition Government, the travelling public will finally get a public transport system people want to use,” Mr Roberts said.

“But only a change of government will deliver the change NSW needs to get back in front.”

Further details on the NSW Liberal/Nationals Coalition plan to freeze fares, and our commitment to restore honesty in timetables through our ‘Late is Late’ policy, are available at www.peterdebnam.com.au.