ASX blue-chip shares can be some of the most appealing picks for passive income because of the combination of strong stability, generous dividend payout ratios and the franking credits, leading to a good dividend yield.
While ASX bank shares get a lot of the attention, I think there are other options that could provide a better yield, more reliability, more growth or better diversification.
The two businesses I'll highlight are leaders on the ASX, and there's potential to increase their payouts in the coming years.
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Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)
Transurban is a large toll road business, which operates assets across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and North America.
The business is benefiting from Australia's growing population and this continues to play out with rising traffic numbers.
In the FY26 first quarter, the ASX blue-chip share saw group average daily traffic (ADT) increase by 2.7% year-over-year. Sydney ADT rose 1.7%, Melbourne ADT increased 3.2%, Brisbane ADT climbed 2.6% and North American ADT surged 6.8%.
A number of factors could help power the cash flow and distribution higher including further completed projects, operating leverage and cost efficiencies and better technology. Any further interest rate cuts could also be beneficial for Transurban's financials.
The business is expecting its FY26 distribution to grow 6% year-over-year to 69 cents per security. That translates into a forward distribution yield of 4.6%, at the time of writing, which is better than what most term deposits are offering these days.
APA Group (ASX: APA)
APA is one of the most impressive, higher-yielding ASX blue-chip shares that Australians can buy.
There aren't many ASX-listed businesses with a dividend yield of more than 6%. Very few of those have delivered at least a decade of continuous dividend growth.
APA, a large energy infrastructure owner focused on gas and electricity assets, has given investors annual distribution increases every year over the last two decades. That's an exceptionally reliable record, though not guaranteed to continue forever.
Energy is an important and consistent part of the Australian economy. APA actually transports half of the country's gas usage, so it's an integral player in the energy market.
The ASX blue-chip share has managed to increase its payout so consistently, thanks to its regular investments in adding to its energy asset portfolio. More cash flow means bigger distributions.
A large majority of APA's revenue is linked to inflation, providing regular growth for the business.
It's expecting to hike its annual distribution per security to 58 cents in FY26, translating into a forward dividend yield of 6.25%, at the time of writing.
