Liberals promise half price bus fares - but only for a year

Under the $14 million proposal, Tasmanian travellers would pay half price for tickets on all Metro buses, rural and regional bus routes and Derwent ferries for 12 months.

"This will make a real hip-pocket difference to hundreds of thousands of Tasmanians," Mr Rockliff said.

"Under our commitment, a typical Metro fare will halve from $3.50 to $1.75, he said.

"That saving is even bigger for regional Tasmanians. The bus fare from Smithton to Burnie halves from $16 to $8 and Hobart to Huonville goes down to just $4.40."

A Metro bus traveller in Launceston or Burnie would also see daily ticket prices halved, saving $17.50 per week.

The one-year ticket price bonanza will cost taxpayers $14 million to deliver.

But it took just hours for the opposition to match the election policy - Labor transport spokesman Josh Willie said an elected Labor government would cut bus prices for a year as well.

"But we won't stop there," he said, before promising Labor would fix Metro if it gained power.

"The Liberals have driven Metro into the ground," Mr Willie said, noting that 180 Metro services had been indefinitely cancelled over the past several months.

A Labor government would rebuild Metro "so Tasmanians can again rely on public transport", he said.

Transport Minister Michael Ferguson said the Liberal policy would also encourage more people to use public transport for the first time, reducing congestion on roads and cutting carbon emissions.

He also said the much delayed common ticketing system would be introduced later this year.

Greens transport spokesman Vica Bayley welcomed the decision to reduce the cost of public transport, but said the plan was a "half measure".

"While this announcement is a big step forward ... it also doesn't go far enough, and we need to see both major parties commit to making public transport completely free," he said.

Mr Ferguson also promised to improve the reliability of Metro services, which have been hit over the past year, especially in the South, with regular route closures and cancellations.

"We know that Metro Tasmania has struggled to deliver all its services due to a lack of drivers," Mr Ferguson said.

The government plans to invest $15 million over four years to improve Metro service delivery.