Students fined more than $820,000 for not tagging on and off free public transport to and from school

School students have been slugged more than $821,000 for not tagging on and off public transport in Western Australia despite it being free.

The state government issued $100 fines to 8214 students under the Ride to School Free Program for failing to tag on and off trains, buses and ferries with their Student SmartRider card.

The opposition argues students have been unfairly penalised.

Free public transport for Western Australian school students was introduced in 2024, with the government saying it would save families about $560 a year.

It allows students to travel to and from school for free if they hold a valid Student SmartRider card.

New data released in parliament reveals more than $821,000 has been raised from fines under the scheme, an increase of more than 500 per cent since the program was first introduced two years ago.

Opposition transport spokesman Steve Martin said the figures raised serious questions about how the scheme was operating in practice.

“In June 2024, there were 1350 fines issued to students under the Ride to School Free Program. Less than two years later, that figure has blown out to 8214,” he said.

“The minister cannot keep claiming free student travel is driving patronage growth while also reviewing how students who fail to tag on are counted. She is trying to have it both ways.”

Mr Martin said Transport Minister Rita Saffioti needed to explain what safeguards were in place to ensure students were not unfairly penalised under the program.

“The Cook Labor government promised free transport for students, but families are finding out there’s nothing free about a $100 fine,” he said.

“The Premier and the Transport Minister have spent weeks congratulating themselves for offering ‘free’ public transport while more than 8000 fines have been handed to school students under the same program,

“For families already struggling with rising fuel prices in a cost-of-living crisis, the last thing they need is a $100 fine.”

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said it was critical that students tagged on and off with a SmartRider card to access free travel so they could monitor who used the service and plan effectively to ensure there were enough services to meet demand.

Ms Saffioti said the data helped the Public Transport Authority identify fare evasion hotspots so it could better co-ordinate with schools to ensure students used their SmartRider.

“While we’ve seen a strong uptake of students riding to school for free, we continue to see a large number of students not using a SmartRider when travelling to and from school, particularly on buses,” she said.

“The number of fines issued since the start of the program represents just 0.05 per cent of overall journeys taken by students across our public transport network.

“The Public Transport Authority has launched a targeted communication strategy to educate school students on the importance of using a SmartRider and have been closely monitoring bus services that have a high number of students not tagging on and off.”