I am in Melbourne, and as I write this, public transport is free for April. That’s statewide. It’s a small but powerful way to make an impact on the cost-of-living pressures on a community now also facing high fuel prices. The same happened in the Byron Shire over Easter – with free buses running to take the pressure off the roads.
For a moment it was like living in a dream. A magic fantasy land where one no longer had ‘where do I park?’ angst. How many times do I drive around the block before I score a spot? How much do I have to pay? How long can I stay there before I get a parking fine? Who will yell at me? Sometimes I avoid going places just because I can’t bear the parking anxiety. I once joked about moving to Mullumbimby because I couldn’t get a park in Byron. Now you can’t get a park in Mullum.
Being able to jump on and off a tram, or a train, or a bus, without tapping-on or -off is a reminder of what it might be like to live in a more egalitarian society where the government takes social responsibility for citizens, and for the planet. Want to cut down our dependence on fossil fuels? Want to make public spaces more accessible? Stop road rage? Easy – get people out of their cars and onto a bus. Or a train. Or a tram. And make it electric. It’s communal. It’s efficient. It makes sense.
Australia has some of the highest car ownership rates in the world – with roughly 0.75 vehicles per inhabitant. Having a car is seen as necessary as having shoes. Especially living in a regional area like ours where public transport is almost non-existent. Yes, there are bus services – but they are few and far between. Some of the runs are school buses.
Years ago when I lost my licence for speeding (not hooning – just successive camera fines), I had the pleasure of getting the school bus. It feels weirdly inappropriate to be an adult on the school run. And embarrassing. Clearly things weren’t going well for me. Someone leant over and enquired, ‘Mandy Nolan, what are you doing on the school bus?’ I said: ‘I am here by the grace of St Helena.’
It turned out later the camera was broken and that the fines I’d paid were probably their error. I’ll never forget my six months on the buses, with five kids, one of them a newborn. It was humbling. And a reminder of how inadequate regional public transport is. And that it shouldn’t take 90 minutes to get from Mullum to Ballina.
It costs a lot to own a car. The average driver spends up to $12,000 pa on fuel and insurance, servicing and maintenance. If you have a car loan it could be up to, or even over, $20,000 pa. EVs obviously have no fuel and less servicing costs, but there’s still insurance and repayments. And new cars depreciate. Cars are our freedom, but they are a massive financial burden. And there’s just too many of them. Ask any urban planner.
Imagine being able to live car free?
Imagine living in a community with state-of-the-art public transport infrastructure! Trains. Trams. Big buses. Small electric buses. Not ones that just leave you at a generic designated stop – but ones that take you to your street, or your door. Like the courtesy bus for drunk patrons at clubs. And imagine if those buses were free. And available throughout the day.
Well, the government have just shown us that they can do it. The free part at least.
Now build the infrastructure and invest. Let’s make cars history.
Mandy Nolan’s column has appeared in The Echo for almost 25 years. She is a writer, comedian and artist, and was the Greens cadidate at the past two elections.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
