Pressing pause on public transport fares

Friday 15 May 2026

Public transport fares would normally be set to rise under annual indexation from July 1 – however a three-month interim pause on any increase to costs for public transport commuters has been implemented.

metroCARD fares will be maintained at 2025-26 levels until at least 1 October 2026, and the Government will further review at that point when it is appropriate to apply standard indexation of 3.3 per cent in the context of the ongoing war in the Middle East .

The annual increases on a range of public fees and charges are below the current national inflation rate of 4.6 per cent, with changes gazetted this week to come into effect from July 1. The annual increases take place to reflect the increasing costs of delivering important government services.

South Australian motorists will pay $693.52 for 12 months registration for a four-cylinder car, an increase of 3.4 per cent. The total registration bill is inclusive of the Compulsory Third Party (CTP) premiums, with the CTP metropolitan class 1 premiums to rise from the lowest available of $264.31 to $274.73 – an increase of 3.9 per cent.

The competitive CTP insurance regime was legislated by the previous Labor Government in 2017. Just before its introduction in 2019 owners of an average four-cylinder car in the metropolitan area were paying $411.25 per year. From 1 July 2026, they will be paying almost $137 a year less than that.

Some examples of fees commonly paid by South Australians include: