A LOCAL member of parliament is calling for free public transport to be provided to schoolchildren.
The Victorian Greens have called on the State Government to consider allowing students on their way to school to travel free of charge on trains, trams and buses.
“The benefits of free public transport for school children would be huge,” said Nina Springle, Greens MP for the South Eastern Metropolitan region.
“It would be cheaper for parents, children would be more active and independent and we’d get some of the peak-hour traffic off our roads.”
A semi-free transport policy already exists for school children in NSW and a similar scheme has been proposed by the Greens in South Australia.
Ms Springle added that the scheme would be a simple but effective way to reduce road congestion.
“Many children are being driven to school when they could catch a train or a bus instead.
“We can all see the difference in the level of traffic during the school holidays,” she said.
