A public meeting will be held in the Central West as part of a statewide review of local bus services in regional and rural NSW.
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The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal is preparing to set maximum fares bus companies can charge from January 2021 to December 2025.
Tribunal member Deborah Cope said they wanted to ensure fares were reasonable and services kept improvin.
"IPART is very aware that people have been doing it tough in rural and regional communities with drought, bushfires and now COVID-19," she said.
"Our aim is to set fares so that people with limited transport options, such as those who can't drive or can't afford a car, have access to services," she said.
"We will visit a number of regional centres. At the moment we propose to hold public meetings in the Central West, North Coast, New England/North West and Riverina/Murray regions."
Ms Cope said IPART wanted the state government to promote the use of buses in communities.
"We also want to encourage innovation, while still ensuring that bus companies can cover their costs," she said.
"To help us decide what fares should be, we would like to hear what residents in rural and regional areas think of those services and how much they should cost to use."
Two issues papers are available for the public to check on IPART's website.
Submissions on the issues papers close on August 7.
Ms Cope said IPART would release a draft report on fares in October and would seek feedback on it.
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