Transport Minister Rita Saffioti has rejected opposition claims that fines issued to students on public transport are wiping out the benefit of free travel, saying they account for just 0.05 per cent of all journeys taken by students across the network.

Speaking on Monday, May 18, Saffioti said the free public transport program remains in place and that students have been required since its introduction to tag on and off with a SmartRider to use it. She said the system is needed to track who is using the services, plan for busy school routes and make sure enough services are available where demand is highest.

The minister said the data collected through SmartRider use also helps the Public Transport Authority spot fare evasion hot spots, work with schools in the area and manage anti-social behaviour. The department says those records are central to keeping the student network running smoothly, particularly where buses carry large numbers of schoolchildren at the same time.

The pushback comes after the opposition argued that penalties linked to student travel were offsetting the cost-of-living relief the program was meant to deliver. But Saffioti said the numbers showed otherwise, pointing to a strong uptake in students riding to school for free even as a large number still fail to use a SmartRider when travelling to and from school, especially on buses.

That gap matters because the program is already operating, not being tested. The transport department says the SmartRider requirement is doing more than collecting tap-on data; it is helping authorities plan capacity, target fare evasion and keep closer watch on behaviour in the school transport system. For now, the minister’s case is that the fines are marginal, while the bigger problem is getting students to follow the rules that make free travel workable.