The main issue was access to public transport,he said,and when people made the choice to use a car or public transport,“convenience and travel time are more important”. The average service worker in the retail or hospitality sector worked and lived in areas poorly served by public transport.

Of more benefit would be an expansion of the public transport network with “services that are frequent,fast and well-connected”. A $2 fare policy would make this more difficult,Dodson said,because revenue raised from ticketing would be slashed by 80 per cent. In Victoria,ticket fares make up about 30 per cent of the network’s revenue.

Dodson’sanalysis earlier this year,using census data,showed poorer households were more dependent on private transport and it “should be an embarrassment for both sides of politics” that Victoria still does not have a transport plan to identify what the needs of the state are,and how political commitments fit into that vision.

“The cost of $300 million for this,though,pales in comparison to the cost of the Suburban Rail Loop,which also has uncertain benefits,” Dodson said. “At least if you’re going to make a mistake in transport,make it a $300 million and not a $50 billion one.”

Daniel Bowen,from the Public Transport Users Association,said while he welcomed the focus on making public transport more affordable,the Coalition had “gone a bit nuclear”. A more moderate discount would leave more money to upgrade services.

A desire for better public transport has emerged as a key issue inThe Age’sVictoria’s Agenda project,with many people citing inadequate transport links,infrastructure deficiencies and population growth as the issue they would like politicians to be addressing.

One under-45-year-old man in the survey said,“our rail network is embarrassing compared to NSW,let alone Europe”,and another mother wanted “access to good quality public transport,so[her two children] don’t eventually need to be in two-car families”. Many others asked for “cheaper public transport”.

Infrastructure Victoria hasrecommended governments reform the public transport fare system by introducing more flexible pricing depending on the mode of transport,and said buses and trams should be cheaper. The Public Transport Users Association earlier this year arguedMelbourne’s public transport fares were among the world’s most expensive for short trips,which account for the majority of day-to-day travel,due to above-inflation fare rises over the past 20 years.

The Premier on Sunday announced that level crossings would be removed from Wickham and Highett roads in Highett,McDonald and Bear street in Mordialloc,Station and Groves streets in Aspendale,Armstrongs Road and Station streets in Seaford,and Latrobe Street in Mentone.

New stations would also be built at Highett,Mordialloc,Aspendale and Seaford. Some homes and businesses would need to be acquired as part of the project.

“This is absolutely massive for people up and down the Frankston line,” Andrews said. “To be level-crossing free means you can run more trains more often;it’s safer,and,of course,the road network is so much improved with people not being held up for very lengthy periods of time.”

Andrews refused to reveal the cost of his announcement,saying it would be disclosed in the pre-election budget as they are government announcements and not election commitments.

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