1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:03,520 S1: Marco, one of our favorites, joins us on the line. 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:06,760 S1: Kiara Parker 3AW reporter good morning Kiara. 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:08,840 S2: Good morning guys. How are you? 4 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:11,280 S1: Great. And channel nine. Yeah. And she has some very 5 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:13,760 S1: good work. She does some great work. You know some golf. 6 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:18,160 S1: Golf podcasts. Yeah. Golf. Yeah, yeah. Media mogul. Kiara Parker 7 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:21,840 S1: joins us right now. Um, Victorians at risk losing their 8 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,040 S1: free trains, trams and buses next week. It lasted for 9 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:27,200 S1: a month. No intention to keep it going. 10 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:29,680 S2: Yeah. Jimmy. I'd make the most of it the next 11 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:31,680 S2: two weeks while you can. For those who are using 12 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:34,360 S2: the free travel. Yeah. The cost of living support looks 13 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:36,440 S2: like it will wind up at the end of the month. 14 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:40,240 S2: That's of course, unless there's a sharp deterioration of fuel stockpiles. 15 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:43,240 S2: But the government at this stage is refusing to commit 16 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:46,280 S2: to a rollover of this popular policy. But I guess 17 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:49,159 S2: at this stage it's not completely ruling it out. But 18 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,080 S2: speaking to commuters this morning at Southern Cross stations, they 19 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:55,800 S2: obviously want to see it continue. Not surprisingly, because regular 20 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:59,000 S2: public transport uses, they're saving $220 this month. 21 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,280 S3: Well, Kiara, it seems to have worked so well. I mean, 22 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,520 S3: I remember when it first came in, there were huge 23 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,759 S3: lines at stations right around the outer suburbs in Melbourne. 24 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:10,640 S3: It's trying to help me here. Queensland. Did they do 25 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:12,679 S3: something where it was just $0.50 a trip up there? 26 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:15,450 S2: Yeah, they were doing $0.50 a trip. And you say 27 00:01:15,450 --> 00:01:17,050 S2: it's worked well here. Well, I guess it kind of 28 00:01:17,050 --> 00:01:19,170 S2: depends who you speak to. It hasn't. It hasn't. There's 29 00:01:19,170 --> 00:01:22,610 S2: been capacity issues on the suburban and V line services. 30 00:01:22,610 --> 00:01:25,250 S2: There have been issues there. And of course you must 31 00:01:25,250 --> 00:01:27,410 S2: have got to mention this does come at a cost 32 00:01:27,450 --> 00:01:32,130 S2: a $71 million loss in revenue. So but yeah, commuters, 33 00:01:32,130 --> 00:01:34,130 S2: they're making the most of it for the next two weeks. 34 00:01:34,130 --> 00:01:37,330 S2: They're hoping it will continue looking unlikely at this stage. 35 00:01:37,330 --> 00:01:40,089 S2: But yeah, they've certainly taken um, taken it on board 36 00:01:40,090 --> 00:01:42,130 S2: and making the most of this free travel. And even 37 00:01:42,530 --> 00:01:45,130 S2: just speaking about the crowd crush, they've even had authorised 38 00:01:45,170 --> 00:01:48,530 S2: officers on board. Um yeah. Keeping people in line because 39 00:01:48,530 --> 00:01:49,650 S2: they have been so packed. 40 00:01:49,690 --> 00:01:51,890 S1: I was going to ask you, can you talk to 41 00:01:51,890 --> 00:01:54,610 S1: us a bit more about that? Like platforms? That's what 42 00:01:54,610 --> 00:01:58,170 S1: we're seeing. Lots of images of platforms being jam packed. 43 00:01:58,250 --> 00:02:00,290 S1: Was that just images for the news or has it 44 00:02:00,290 --> 00:02:01,650 S1: been across the board? 45 00:02:02,490 --> 00:02:04,530 S2: Well, I think it depends which station you're at and 46 00:02:04,530 --> 00:02:07,530 S2: which time, and also which days like Tuesdays and Thursdays, 47 00:02:07,570 --> 00:02:09,850 S2: are popular days in the city for people to come 48 00:02:09,850 --> 00:02:12,570 S2: in and work. Um, but yeah, it's not too bad 49 00:02:12,570 --> 00:02:14,530 S2: at Southern Cross this morning. It is early on a 50 00:02:14,530 --> 00:02:17,250 S2: Monday morning, but um, yeah, it certainly depends which station 51 00:02:17,250 --> 00:02:18,130 S2: you're at. I think. 52 00:02:18,370 --> 00:02:21,450 S3: Kiara, I don't get the train as much as I 53 00:02:21,690 --> 00:02:24,810 S3: probably should. Um, I know a lot of people get 54 00:02:24,810 --> 00:02:28,470 S3: it all the time, But just in your mind, if 55 00:02:28,470 --> 00:02:31,630 S3: we did have more trains out there that were, you know. 56 00:02:31,669 --> 00:02:33,430 S3: So you didn't have to wait ten minutes and, you know, 57 00:02:33,470 --> 00:02:37,590 S3: on the weekends, 20 minutes sometimes do. How many do 58 00:02:37,590 --> 00:02:42,790 S3: you how would we go going forward? Keeping more cars 59 00:02:42,790 --> 00:02:44,830 S3: off the road? Because. It just seems like a no 60 00:02:44,830 --> 00:02:47,990 S3: brainer to me. We might wear a bit of cost 61 00:02:48,270 --> 00:02:51,950 S3: because it's a dollar. A trip, say. But to me 62 00:02:51,990 --> 00:02:54,390 S3: it would get more and more people off our busy, 63 00:02:54,389 --> 00:02:55,309 S3: busy roads. 64 00:02:55,669 --> 00:02:58,670 S2: Yeah. Definitely. I think more regular services is the key 65 00:02:59,110 --> 00:03:01,870 S2: to any Summerfield in a newsroom. He'll. Often complain about 66 00:03:01,870 --> 00:03:04,190 S2: this on a weekend. They're just not regular enough. Yeah. 67 00:03:04,230 --> 00:03:06,310 S2: So if you want people to. Use them, put on 68 00:03:06,310 --> 00:03:09,190 S2: more services and people will then use them. And that's 69 00:03:09,190 --> 00:03:12,310 S2: what the state government's. Always encouraging trying to get cars 70 00:03:12,310 --> 00:03:14,230 S2: off the road and especially this time we all want 71 00:03:14,230 --> 00:03:16,150 S2: to save on fuel, but I think it is about 72 00:03:16,150 --> 00:03:18,270 S2: getting more services on. I know with the V line 73 00:03:18,270 --> 00:03:20,870 S2: at the moment I don't think that's actually possible. So 74 00:03:20,870 --> 00:03:23,589 S2: that's what's been a real issue there. But certainly with 75 00:03:23,590 --> 00:03:26,310 S2: the suburban services and around Metro, you would hope so. 76 00:03:26,310 --> 00:03:29,270 S2: But look we will see. There's two weeks left I guess. 77 00:03:29,310 --> 00:03:31,670 S2: Allen government is an election year. They've got time to 78 00:03:31,710 --> 00:03:34,310 S2: change their minds. So we'll see if they, uh, continue 79 00:03:34,310 --> 00:03:34,990 S2: this free travel. 80 00:03:35,030 --> 00:03:35,870 S3: Good on you, Kiara. 81 00:03:35,910 --> 00:03:38,830 S1: Appreciate your time. Kiara Parker they're three W channel nine, 82 00:03:38,830 --> 00:03:39,990 S1: you name it, she is across it.