Back when Crowded House first played the Opera House in 1996, Melbourne public transport users were paying $4.10 for a Daily Zone 1 fare. From January that same fare will cost $8.20 - exactly double what it was 20 years ago.

Of course, prices for most things have gone up in that time. But if public transport fares had risen at the rate of inflation, that fare would be $6.86, not $8.20.

Both sides of politics have given us repeated above-inflation rises. The Brumby Labor government budgeted for CPI plus 5 per cent rises in 2012 and 2013, which were subsequently delivered by the Coalition. Then in its December 2013 budget update, the Coalition flagged CPI plus 2.5 per cent rises annually from 2015 to 2018 - now being delivered by Labor.

However, some passengers have seen recent price cuts. We now have a flat fare for most trips within suburban Melbourne. This is both a curse and a blessing. Commuters coming into inner Melbourne from the sprawling suburbs pay a fare that is cheap by Australian standards, and lower in real terms than 20 years ago.