<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>334555</docID> <postdate>2024-12-04 10:41:58</postdate> <headline>Deals on the bus go down, down: transport costs plunge</headline> <body><p><img class=" wp-image-334559" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20190813001413157389-original-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="693" height="423" /></p> <caption>Brisbanites were better off than people in other states thanks to 50-cent public transport fares. (Regi Varghese/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p class="wire-column__preview__author"><span class="kicker-line">By <b>Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson</b> in Brisbane</span></p> <p><strong>The cost of getting around has fallen for the first time in two years, a study has shown, but households in some states are faring better than others thanks to public transport discounts. </strong></p> <p>The Australian Automobile Association detailed the extent of the savings in its Transport Affordability Index on Wednesday, revealing travel costs fell by an average of $921 a year for those living in capital cities.</p> <p>But Brisbanites were significantly better off than people in other states, saving $3316 a year on average, thanks to the introduction of 50-cent fares for public transport.</p> <p>On the other side of the ledger, Sydneysiders fared the worst, with transport costs rising in the city by $107 a year due to high toll prices.</p> <p>The report, prepared quarterly by the motoring body, analysed household transport costs including registration, servicing, insurance, car loans, fuel and public transport to determine spending.</p> <p>It found transport costs fell 2.6 per cent between July and September - the first decrease since September 2022.</p> <p>The falling price of fuel had a significant impact, the index found, reducing transport costs by an average of $338 across all households.</p> <p>But cuts to public transport fares made the biggest impact, forcing down transport prices in Queensland, the ACT and the Northern Territory.</p> <p>Only Queensland's public transport price cuts were designed to be permanent, however, with fares in other states free on a temporary basis.</p> <p>Despite 50-cent fares up north, Hobart claimed the title of lowest annual transport costs, followed by Darwin, while Sydney, Melbourne and Perth registered the highest costs.</p> <p>Transport costs also fell across seven regional areas surveyed for the index, with transport in Alice Springs, Bunbury and Geelong costing the most at over $23,000 a year, while Townsville and Wagga Wagga registered the cheapest bills at just over $20,000 a year.</p> <p>Even though costs fell in most cities and towns, Australian Automobile Association managing director Michael Bradley said transport consumed 16.1 per cent of household income during the quarter and remained a major drain on family budgets.</p> <p>"Transport costs are significantly higher than they were before the (COVID) pandemic," he said.</p> <p>"The typical Australian household's transport costs have risen from 13.9 per cent of its income in September 2019 to 16.1 per cent in September 2024."</p> <p>The findings proved state and federal governments should carefully consider transport policies, Mr Bradley said, and the effect they could have on spending and the overall economy.</p> <p>"Transport is a significant and unavoidable expense and rising transport expenditure is also one of the key drivers of inflation," he said.</p> <p>Car loan repayments remained the biggest transport cost across all states, the index found, followed by fuel and insurance.</p> </body>