The Student Transport Riders Association – Victoria's premier advocacy group for students and young people on public transport – commends the state government's decision to implement a moratorium on public transport fares for April 2026, in response to the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

In order to address fuel shortages from the war, STRA calls on the government to partner this change with further fare reform, alongside service frequency improvements (particularly off-peak and on weekends) in the leadup to the election. These changes would help to cement public and active transport as the preferred modes of climate and budget conscious students and young people.

"Normalising public transport timetables across the day and week gives Victorians the freedom to travel at their convenience, freeing up space on roads and in petrol stations for people living and working in the frequently deprived outer suburbs and regions," said STRA President Duale Siad.

"We're living in an unprecedented time for cost of living pressure, putting the state Labor government in a unique position to create real change in the way we get around.

"STRA wants 50% of commutes to schools, unis, and TAFEs to be made by public and active transport by 2030 and this is a great opportunity for the government to begin taking the first steps towards achieving that goal.

"We'd like to see the government consider lowering fares to around half their current rate following the current fare-free period, in order to build resilience against future shocks to the state's transport system."