The high cost of public transport fares remains a financial burden for Melbourne’s growing community of international postgraduate students, with critics including Lord Mayor Sally Capp saying their lack of access to travel discounts is a barrier to “a good life experience”.

An estimated 150,000 new overseas students, mainly from China and India, have arrived in Victoria this year, according to Capp, surpassing last year’s 104,000 as post-pandemic recovery continues.

“We’re so thankful that the environment has changed now to be able to welcome so many people from overseas back to our education institutions,” Capp said while hosting an annual welcome party for international students at Melbourne’s Alexandra Gardens in March.

According to the Australian Department of Education, there were 195,916 international students in Victoria in January-February 2024, up by 21 percent from the same period last year. International education is Victoria’s largest export services industry, with the sector generating $8.4 billion in revenue in 2022 and supporting 40,000 jobs.

Capp said the city is committed to ensuring international students have both quality education and a good life experience, but admitted costly transport fares are a persistent challenge, particularly in the context of a cost-of-living crisis with housing, food and energy costs putting pressure on student incomes.

Public Transport Victoria (PTV) raised fares by an average of 5 per cent at the start of 2024. Single fares increased from $5 to $5.30 regardless of distance travelled, while the daily full fare cap rose from $10 to $10.60.

This came after a previous rise of 40 and 80 cents for daily and full fares respectively in July 2023.

“I’ve been advocating to the state government for that [change] since 2007,” Capp said, adding those attempts had not been successful.

“But we should keep trying. I think it’s important that international students feel as welcomed as possible.”

The Age reported in February that postgraduate students had to choose between topping up their myki card or buying groceries. Victoria is the only Australian state that does not offer public transport concessions to postgraduate students.

According to estimates by student-led campaign Fares Fair PTV, there are 112,235 postgraduate students in Victoria. More than 70,000 of those are studying full-time, meaning they have limited time to work to support themselves.

A Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said concessions are available for undergraduate international students, while “postgraduate students on low incomes who hold a health care card … can also access 50 per cent off their myki passes.”

International postgraduate students are ineligible for low-income health care cards. Liyu Chen, 25, a Master of Law student at the University of Melbourne, said the city’s public transport is much more expensive than in her Chinese hometown, Xiamen, and the city’s limited free tram zone is “unreasonable”.

The free tram zone covers most city tourist destinations but does not provide access to some parts of Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and the University of Melbourne. The two universities host a total of 100,000 students.

Chen said, “If they’re not included in the free tram zone, at least (the government) should give us a discount. I think Sydney does much better than Melbourne.”

Despite her complaint, she said that she never fare-evades for fear of the $288 fine.

Rizky Adi Sudrajad, 27, a master’s student of Urban and Cultural Heritage at the University of Melbourne questioned if $10.60 for a four-stop back-and-forth, trip between his apartment in Parkville and the State Library is “worth it”.

“For international students, it can be so costly. We must pay for food, accommodation, and even healthcare because health-related expenses are not fully covered by our insurances,” he said.

Sudrajad said international students should be allowed to access concession tickets in exchange for their contributions in “generating significant income for the state of Victoria”.

“It’s unquestionable that international students should be given transport concessions or other forms of facilitations, because it’s the only way of commuting for most of us,” he said.

“It would also minimise the risk of people not tapping on [their myki card].”

Fare evasion cost PTV an estimated revenue loss of $4 million of its $108.6 million revenue from tram travel during the second half of 2023.

PTV did not respond to a request for comment.

Dr John Stone, senior lecturer of Transport Planning at the University of Melbourne, said the state government raised fares in line with the inflation rate of 4.1 per cent recorded December 2023, and in the context of a tight budget.

The increase was partly the result of “a bidding war” prior to the 2022 Victorian election, Stone said, when the  Coalition proposed cutting a Melbourne public transport fares to $2 per day, while Labor promised to slash regional trains with a daily cap to $9.20 — and went on to win the election.

“That’s costing them some money, so they are now penalising people in the city,” Stone said.

“You could go to the edge of Victoria for the same price as you could go to Brunswick, and that just doesn’t seem fair.”

International postgraduate students are among the hardest hit by this “unfair” pricing scheme. Despite their importance to the Victorian economy, they cannot campaign to access student concession rates as they have no right to vote, are small in number and lack electoral power, Stone added.

“I think it’s valid that they should be given concessions the same way as others, but […] to get that change often requires a long-term, continuous campaign,” he says.

“Because the population of students is always changing, it’s hard to maintain that focus.”

The Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said zone-based fares are cheaper than distance-based ones for most journeys and are easily understood by passengers travelling multiple zones.

“The current fare structure also ensures those who live further from the city centre aren’t disproportionately disadvantaged,” the spokesperson said.

“We regularly review our policies and offers to customers to help them take full advantage of public transport.”