Travel costs for rural and regional seniors will be eased from January next year when the NSw Government rolls out its $250 Regional Seniors Transport Card, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall has announced.
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He said the card was an election promise and would help thousands of seniors across the region.
"Seniors will be able to use the $250 to purchase fuel, pay for taxi fares from participating providers and pre-booked NSW TrainLink train and coach services," he said.
"I know it can be challenging at times for country seniors to travel to medical appointments or to see loved ones.
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"With further distances to travel, they rely more heavily on private travel which can be a more expensive option. We simply don't have the luxury of multiple public transport options like they do in the big cities."
To qualify for the card, seniors must be living in Regional NSW, outside Newcastle and Wollongong City Council boundaries, and be either an aged pensioner or a Commonwealth Senior Health Cardholder.
"This initiative will ease the pressure on seniors to access essential services and help address cost of living pressures in the bush," Mr Marshall said.
The Regional Seniors' Transport Card policy follows a recommendation from the 2016 NSW Parliamentary Committee on Community Services into the access to Transport for Seniors and Disadvantaged People in Rural and Regional NSW.
