- Transperth annual patronage surpasses 150 million for the first time
- 2024 patronage smashed by almost 5 million boardings
- Six new monthly patronage records set
- Cook Government making public transport more affordable and accessible than ever
A record number of passengers used Perth's world-class public transport network in 2025, with boardings surpassing 150 million for the first time.
There were 151.7 million total boardings recorded during the 2025 calendar year, a 3.28 per cent increase from 2024.
Patronage in 2025 beat the previous record of 148.7 million boardings set in 2013 by almost 3 million.
New records were also set in 2025 for the months of January, July, September, October, November and December.
The strong growth is despite sections of the Armadale Line being closed for a significant proportion of the year; and a large number of school students not tagging on and off, resulting in an underreporting of data.
Work is underway to ensure patronage data better reflects student boardings.
The record-breaking year demonstrates that the Cook Government's commitment to keeping public transport affordable and accessible is encouraging more Western Australians to jump on board Transperth services.
The Cook Government has not only delivered the largest-ever expansion of WA's public transport network through METRONET but has rolled out significant cost-of-living measures to make public transport cheaper.
These include free weekday travel for students, free travel every Sunday for those who tag on and off with a SmartRider or bank card, introduction of new contactless payment options across the network and the introduction of the Go Anywhere Fare in January.
Catching public transport is cheaper than ever before since the introduction of the Go Anywhere Fare, with passengers paying no more than $2.80 to travel anywhere on the network using a SmartRider with Autoload or $3.50 using contactless payments.
As part of this commitment, Transwa fares were also permanently reduced by 50 per cent on 1 January 2026.
Strong growth has been seen as a result, with patronage increasing by 16 per cent when comparing the first week of March in 2025 with the same week in 2026, including a 21 per cent increase in patronage on the Prospector.
Comments attributed to Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
"For the first time in WA's history, more than 151 million passengers jumped on our trains, buses and ferries in 2025, smashing the previous year's patronage by almost five million boardings.
"Theseincredible results show METRONET is connecting our suburbs like never before and our cheaper fares are delivering real, everyday savings for Western Australians.
"We've proudly delivered 23 new METRONET stations, 72 kilometres of new rail, removed 15 level crossings, and unlocked land for thousands of new homes across Perth.
"Our GoAnywhere Fare has made public transport the cheapest it's been in decades, and our new contactless payment options are making it easier than ever for WA families, students, workers and visitors to move around our suburbs.
"It's never been easier to catch public transport and it's another way we're delivering real cost of living relief to Western Australians."
