Free Travel for Students

On the back of the Summer of Free Public Transport, the state government recently announced free transport for school students on Transperth Services.

The Ride to School Free Program is for travel Monday to Friday and available for those students who hold a valid Student SmartRider card. Travel on public or school holidays during the year will be free, with the exception of the summer school holidays, where concession fares apply.

Students do not need to have any credit on their SmartRider, however they must not have a negative balance. Transperth Education’s Alexis Darby advises “a negative balance can occur when a default fare is charged. To avoid this, students must tag on and off services correctly to ensure they are not charged a default fare. A negative balance on their SmartRider may lead to issues tagging on during their next journey.’ If students encounter any issues with default fares, the InfoLine can be contacted on 13 62 13 for assistance.

This free travel for students, also extends to the Transperth Group Ticketing Program. Alexis Darby says 'this is a fantastic option for teachers to take students on excursions and curriculum based learning, while keeping costs to a minimum – only paying for teachers or adults travelling with the group. This is also at a discounted rate of $5.10 per adult each day.’ Bookings are required a minimum one week prior to travel and can be submitted via the Get On Board website.

As a reminder, schools affected by the Armadale Train Line closure are encouraged to contact the Transperth Education team on 08 9326 3970 or education@pta.wa.gov.au to discuss rail replacement bus options. Please note capacity limits to groups exist for bus travel.

In addition to the Ride to School Free program, Every Sunday Free has been introduced for the whole community. Travel using a SmartRider on any Sunday and it will cost you absolutely nothing!

For more information on this initiative, including frequently asked questions, please visit the Transperth website.