WA Treasurer Rita Saffioti in Geraldton to promote regional transport savings, including halved bus fares

Geraldton and the Mid West are set to benefit from major public transport savings, with a range of Transwa bus fares to be halved. Transport Minister Rita Saffioti visited Geraldton on Wednesday to promote initiatives announced in last month’s State Budget. The $152 million package will see TransGeraldton and other public transport services capped to the cost of a single-zone ticket. Locally, this will benefit residents in outer suburbs such as Drummond Cove and Glenfield, who pay a more expensive two-zone fare for their commutes. An additional $18.2 million will permanently halve Transwa fares across WA, with one-way savings on regional routes including $37 between Perth and Geraldton, $46 Perth to Kalbarri, $32 Perth to Dongara, $23 Perth to Jurien Bay, $31 Geraldton to Mt Magnet and $45 from Geraldton to Meekatharra. “We’re committed to keeping the cost of public transport down, because we know how much it supports regional families, especially when it comes to travelling to and from Perth,” Ms Saffioti said. Ms Saffioti says the changes are designed to reduce the cost burden to regional households and encourage more travel between the Mid West and Perth, to strengthen tourism and boost local economies. The savings will come into effect from January 1, 2026. The bus fare savings build on the success of the Regional Airfare Zone Cap scheme, which has now propped up more than 500,000 discounted airfares for regional WA residents since its launch in 2022. The scheme caps return fares on Qantas and Nexus airlines to Perth at $199 each way when booked as a return fare from Geraldton. “This (RAZC) scheme is saving regional families thousands of dollars and giving people peace of mind that if they need to travel for urgent family or personal reasons, they won’t be stung with high prices,” Ms Saffioti said. The State Government has announced a $4 million extension to continue the scheme through to mid-2026. Further boosts for regional travellers from July 1 include $19 million to increase the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme from 26 to 40 cents per kilometre, $26 million to lift the Regional Pensioner Travel Card value from $675 to $775 per year and $8 million in assistance for regional students more than 300km from Perth to receive a $500 subsidy to attend Country Week. Labor MLC Sandra Carr added, “Schools have also told us that support such as our Country Week funding has allowed some students to participate in Country Week for the first time.”