Victoria University is backing free public transport for students after finding significant numbers of young people skip school because they can’t afford myki payments or fines.
The finding emerged from a joint Vic Uni- Sunshine Youth Legal Centre project seeking solutions to both fare evasion and the financial burden of fines.
The Young People and Fines Bulk Negotiation Project surveyed about 140 clients as well as teachers and youth workers.
VU Law and Justice College clinical programs director Su Robertson said about 160 clients had needed help in the past year with fine issues of some sort.
“Not all [are] public transport, but most are,” she said.
In one case, a student from the west was promised a fine waiver by a ticket inspector once he presented his concession card, which he’d left at home, at a later date.
“The young person did as instructed, but the fine was not waived and they paid up,” Ms Robertson said.
Public Transport Victoria’s latest fare evasion survey data shows a record number of 170,270 infringement notices and on-the-spot penalty fares have been issued in the past 11 months, up 13 per cent from 149,969 in 2011-12.
Ms Robertson said providing free public transport for students could be one solution as “hitting kids’ pockets doesn’t work”.
“They don’t have a hip pocket to hit,” she said.
Public transport was a necessity and some students from poor backgrounds faced violence at home if they failed to attend school, she claimed.
“It’s not a luxury for a kid to get to school,” Ms Robertson said. “If they don’t have enough money on their myki, it’s not an issue of fare evasion. They shouldn’t have to weigh up whether to risk a fine or risk getting in trouble for not going to school.
“Free public transport to and from school may be a good start, but we’re also hoping to uncover other creative responses to go with this idea.”
