Free Sunday Travel on Transperth: How It Works, What Is Excluded and What to Check (Perth, WA)

Every Sunday, travel on Transperth is free for SmartRider holders and for people who pay with a contactless card or device, on all bus, train and ferry trips from first service until last service. You still tag on and off as normal, and Transperth says the fare is free no matter how far you travel.

The rule is in section 4.2 of Transperth’s ticket conditions of use, and it appears on the fares and free travel pages. This guide sets out what the conditions say, what is left out, how it fits with the other free travel in Perth, and what it means for two of the next Sundays, as checked on Thursday 22 October 2026.

What exactly is free on a Sunday?

The ticket conditions of use give five points about Sunday free travel:

• Every Sunday, travel is free for all SmartRider and contactless payment users, who must tag on and off as normal.
• It is available on all Transperth services from first service until last service.
• It does not apply to late-night services after midnight on Saturday.
• Without a SmartRider or contactless payment, you need to buy a cash ticket.
• A SmartRider must not be in a negative balance.

The free travel page adds that the free travel covers all Transperth bus, train and ferry trips.

Do I need to tag on and off?

Yes. Transperth says to tag on and off as you normally would, even though the fare comes to nothing. On contactless payments, Transperth’s guidance on tickets says to use the same card or device to tag on and off, because a physical card and its digital version are treated as separate payment methods, and not doing so can result in a default fare. It also says to present only one card or device to the reader, to avoid a card clash.

A SmartRider with a negative balance does not get the free travel, according to the conditions. If your card has gone negative, add value before you travel.

What is not free on Sundays?

• Cash tickets. A cash ticket costs the normal fare on a Sunday.
• Late-night services after midnight on Saturday, which the conditions exclude.

When did free Sundays start?

The WA Government announced the measure on Sunday 28 January 2024 as a cost-of-living relief measure. The Public Transport Authority’s statement says Fare Free Sundays would be available to everyone with a valid SmartRider card and would begin on 4 February 2024. In the same statement the government announced the Ride to School Free Program for students with a valid Student SmartRider card, starting on Monday 5 February 2024.

A later PTA statement, dated 20 November 2025, says contactless payments started in Perth on Monday 8 December 2025 and that people using the new payment options would still receive free travel on Sundays by tagging on and off.

How does it fit with the other free travel in Perth?

Free travel	What Transperth says
Sundays	All SmartRider and contactless users, all services, first to last service
CAT buses	Free every day; you do not need to tag on or off or buy a ticket
Free Transit Zone	Buses within the zone; trains between City West, Elizabeth Quay and Claisebrook stations for SmartRider and contactless users who start and finish inside the zone
Route 292 airport shuttle	Free between Terminals 3 and 4 and the Airport Line
Children four and younger	Free on Transperth services
Seniors and Pensioner SmartRider	Free all day Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, and at set off-peak times on other days
Student SmartRider	Free travel during the WA school year, with tag on and off

The Free Transit Zone and CAT buses apply every day of the week. For CAT buses, Transperth’s conditions say you do not need to tag on or off, and for buses inside the Free Transit Zone you do not need to tag on and off if you start and finish inside it. For the Sunday free travel on other services, tag on and off.

What about parking at stations?

Transperth’s event pages say that if you drive to one of its stations, parking is free on weekends and public holidays. For weekday events, Transperth says you still pay for parking. Check the station signs and Transperth’s parking page for the station you plan to use.

Which Sundays are coming up?

Two of the next Sundays in Perth have their own transport news, and the free travel applies on both.

• Sunday 25 October: the Yanchep Line is disrupted between Butler and Yanchep in the evening, and the last full line train leaves Perth Underground at 7.21pm. See our guide to Tame Impala at RAC Arena for the closure details.
• Sunday 1 November: the new Fremantle Traffic Bridge opens, with a community festival from 9am to 1pm and a free shuttle bus from Fremantle Station. Transperth’s festival page says every Sunday travel is free for SmartRider and contactless travellers. See our Fremantle Traffic Bridge guide. Transperth’s November changes also start that day, covered in our November service changes guide.

How do I make sure I get the free travel?

1. Use a SmartRider with a balance above zero, or a contactless card or device, and use the same one to tag on and off.
2. Tag on and off on every trip, including buses, trains and the ferry.
3. If you are on a cash ticket, buy the normal fare.
4. Check the JourneyPlanner or app for any works that change your route that Sunday.
5. For help, call the Transperth InfoLine on 13 62 13.

Sources

• Transperth — Ticket conditions of use (section 4; checked 22 October 2026)
• Transperth — Free travel
• Transperth — Fares
• Public Transport Authority — Free public transport for school students and Sundays (28 January 2024)
• Public Transport Authority — New public transport payment options to go live next month (20 November 2025)
• Transperth — Tame Impala event travel

Featured image: The Swan River ferry MV Tricia at Elizabeth Quay, February 2023 (photo: Calistemon / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added)

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Transperth or the Public Transport Authority. Rules can change; check the official pages above before you travel.