00:00For older Canberrans, just getting a My Way card and tapping on and off can be a challenge.
00:08We take calls every day about that issue and it's really nothing to do with us, it's transport cameras issue.
00:14But because the old card, the My Way card has been on the back of the seniors card, we take those calls and we try and straighten things out.
00:21It's just one headache the Council of the Ageing thinks could be eased by making public transport free all day for concession card holders.
00:29I think people are ready to use public transport when they're older and they don't feel like driving, certainly not into civic at the moment.
00:36The Greens argue it would also be a simple cost of living relief measure.
00:40For a small cohort of students, seniors and concession card holders, it's actually a barrier from them to attending medical appointments, work, study or just engaging with their community and family.
00:51We already have a concession scheme that applies to students and seniors and other pensioners as well and a range of other people with disabilities that provides them with a concessional form of travel and indeed free travel for some of those concession card holders.
01:10The Transport Minister says the Government will consider the Greens proposal but says improving frequency and reliability to get more people using public transport is a higher priority.
01:20In order to fund those additional services you need to have revenue.
01:24I would actually argue out of My Way Plus implementation, you've seen far more lost revenue from people failing to tap on and off due to the fact the machines aren't working or there's no readers installed on the bus.
01:36That is a greater detriment to the budget being provided targeted costs of living relief.
01:41The Government is still evaluating whether its current Fair Free Friday trial has been a success and says it will have more to say when it comes to an end later this month.
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