Opal card

Opal is a contactless smartcard fare collection system for public transport services in the greater Sydney area and most other urban areas of New South Wales, Australia. Operation of the Opal system is managed by the New South Wales Government's transport authority, Transport for NSW. First launched in late 2012, Opal is valid on Transport for NSW's metro, train, bus, ferry and light rail services that operate in Sydney and the neighbouring Central Coast, Hunter Region, Blue Mountains, Illawarra and Southern Highlands areas. Opal equipment was designed from the start to support a variety of cards, but launched with the captive Opal cards.

Opal card
LocationNew South Wales, Australia:
Launched
  • Adult cards: 7 December 2012
  • Child/Youth cards: 6 April 2014
  • Senior/Pensioner cards: 3 November 2014
  • Concession cards: 2 February 2015
  • School student cards: January 2016
  • Contactless payment trial: 6 July 2017
  • OpalPay: 15 December 2017
Technology
ManagerTransport for NSW
CurrencyAUD
Stored-valuePay as you go
Credit expiry11 years[1]
Auto rechargeAvailable for registered cards
Validity
  • Ferries: 7 December 2012
  • Trains: 14 June 2013
  • Buses: 30 September 2013
  • Light rail: 1 December 2014
Retailed
  • Online
  • Telephone
  • Retailers
Variants
  • Adult
  • Child/Youth
  • Senior/Pensioner
  • Concession
  • School student
  • Employee
Websitetransportnsw.info/tickets-opal/opal

Opal cards are the standard method of paying for fares on the Opal system. The card is a credit card-sized smartcard which includes a microchip and internal RFID aerial, allowing the card to communicate with readers. The microchip enables value to be loaded onto the card, as well as allowing the journey details to be recorded and the appropriate fare deducted from the stored value on the card. Passengers 'tap on' and 'tap off' any services whenever they travel through the public transport network.[2] Opal cards can also be used to pay for fares on selected third party transport services via a facility known as OpalPay.

History
Main article: History of public transport ticketing in New South Wales

Sydney has used a number of automated ticketing systems since the opening of the Eastern Suburbs Railway in June 1979. The Sydney Automated Fare Collection System (AFC) was rolled out across all government-run CityRail (train) and State Transit Authority (bus and ferry) services in Greater Sydney between 1988 and 1993. The system featured loose integration between the different modes of transport, a complex fare structure and excluded private operators. By being limited to the services provided by the government agencies, most bus services in the outer western, northern and southern parts of Sydney, plus all bus services of the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, and Illawarra regions were excluded from the system.

A unified brand for the majority of public transport tickets was introduced in April 2010. MyZone was designed to simplify the fare system and remove one of the stumbling blocks to the introduction of a smart card.[3] The AFC system was retained where it was in use, but tickets could also be used on private buses – and subsequently on light rail – by presenting a ticket to the bus driver or tram conductor.

Tcard

A replacement for the AFC based on smart card technology, named Tcard, was first announced by the government in 1996, with the aim of having a system in place before the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The contract was awarded to ERG Group, but was delayed until 2002 due to a lawsuit from the losing bidder Cubic, which was labelled 'dishonest' by the presiding Supreme Court of New South Wales judge.[4]

In 2001, Cubic launched a court action against the government but the case exposed an improper relationship between its then managing director and a RailCorp employee alleged to have leaked tender secrets to Cubic.

Ruling against Cubic in 2002, the NSW Supreme Court judge Michael Adams found it was ''guilty of reprehensible conduct'' and had shown a ''lack of good faith and positive dishonesty'' in the tender process.[4]

The development and rollout of the system was beset with difficulties, leading the government to terminate the contract in November 2007.[5] The government sued ERG for $77 million who counter sued for $215m.[6] The claim was settled in February 2012.[7]

Opal launch

After terminating the Tcard contract, the government quickly moved to reset the smartcard project.[8] It called for expressions of interest for the second attempt at the project in August 2008.[9] In April 2010 the government awarded the contract to the Pearl Consortium, whose members are the Commonwealth Bank, Cubic and Downer EDI.[10][11] The contract runs until September 2024.[12]

In September 2011 the new name for the system was announced as 'Opal', chosen from a selection of 665 names. Transport for NSW said Opal was chosen because it was 'uniquely Australian',[13] short, and easy to say. As well as the opal being Australia's national gemstone, the black opal is the New South Wales gemstone symbol.[14]

Rollout
Opal reader installed on a bus
Ticket gates at Kellyville station
Main article: Opal card rollout dates

The initial Opal rollout commenced on the Neutral Bay to Circular Quay ferry service in late 2012 and was completed two years later when the Inner West Light Rail was added to the network. During this period, Opal was progressively rolled out to all ferry services operating under a New South Wales Government service contract, Sydney suburban and intercity train services, all bus services operating under a Metropolitan or Outer Metropolitan service contract and on Sydney's light rail line.

ModeRollout commencedRollout completed
Ferry 7 December 2012[15][16] 30 August 2013 (Sydney)[17][18]
20 November 2014 (Newcastle)[19]
Train 14 June 2013[20][21] 11 April 2014[22]
Bus 30 September 2013[23] 20 November 2014[19][24]
Light rail 1 December 2014[25][26][27][28]

Withdrawal of paper tickets

Single trip ticket machines were rolled-out during 2016. Opal replaced all pre-existing paper tickets, with these tickets being withdrawn in stages, with the process completed on 1 August 2016:[29]

  • 14 tickets (mostly periodicals) were withdrawn on 1 September 2014.[30]
  • 11 Newcastle-specific tickets were withdrawn on 20 November 2014.[31]
  • On 1 January 2016 all other paper tickets were withdrawn except single and return tickets for trains, ferries and light rail and single bus tickets.[32][33][34][35]
  • The last remaining tickets were withdrawn on 1 August 2016. Single trip Opal tickets serve as their replacement.[29]

Services that accept Opal

The Opal network comprises:

Opal will also be accepted on the Parramatta Light Rail when it is operational

Main article: Opal card rollout dates § OpalPay

Card and ticket types
A standard adult Opal card

Reusable Opal cards come in five different types, each with their own colour. These are: Adult (black), Child/Youth (green), Senior/Pensioner (gold), Concession (silver), Employee (blue) and School (light blue).[37][38][39] Reusable Opal cards can be ordered online or over the phone. Adult and Child/Youth cards are also available from retail outlets, such as convenience stores, newsagents, supermarkets and at Service NSW centres.[40][41]

The Adult fare card was the first card to be released, becoming available in December 2012. On 6 April 2014, the Child/Youth card was made available.[42] These cards had to be ordered either online or over the phone. From 28 July until the end of September 2014, temporary kiosks were set up at major railway stations and shopping centres, as unregistered Adult and Child/Youth cards were made available for the first time.[30][43] Opal retailers have distributed unregistered Adult and Child/Youth cards since 10 August 2014.[44]

The Senior/Pensioner card was made available for ordering online or by phone on 3 November 2014.[45][46] Between 11 November and 5 December 2014, temporary kiosks were set up at shopping centres to allow seniors and pensioners to order their Opal cards.[47] The Concession card is available to eligible apprentices, trainees, tertiary students and job seekers.[48] Concession cards became available to tertiary students on 2 February 2015. To be eligible for the Concession Opal, students must be enrolled full-time at a participating institution.[49] Students need to give consent for their institution to share enrolment details with Transport for NSW.[50][51][52] As of 14 June 2015 the cards were available for students at over 80 institutions.[53] The Concession Opal became available to eligible NSW job seekers from 29 June 2015.[54][55]

Free Travel Cards

There are a number of cards that do not have any stored value for individuals with free travel entitlements. These cards are plastic MIFARE Ultralight C cards.

The School card is provided to students with entitlements to free transport to/from school under the School Student Transport Scheme. Owing to the light rail's heritage as a privately run enterprise, free travel for school students was traditionally not available on this mode. The School Opal was introduced on light rail from July 2016.[56]

A grey Opal card is available for holders of a free travel Vision Impaired Person's Travel Pass. The card can be used to open ticket gates at stations and ferry wharves without requiring staff assistance.[57]

Employee cards are used by certain public service employees (e.g. Police, Sydney Trains staff) entitled to free travel on some or all public transport services. Prior to June 2021, employee cards were grey.[58]

Single trip tickets
An Opal machine for purchasing single trip tickets and topping up Opal cards.

Non-reusable (single trip) Opal tickets were introduced on 1 August 2016, replacing all remaining paper tickets. These are only valid on the day of purchase for a single trip only, and only two ticket types are available: Adult and Child/Youth.[59] Single ticket prices are significantly higher than the applicable fare on a reloadable card to discourage their use.

Single trip tickets can be bought from top up machines at most train stations, ferry wharves and light rail stops. Tickets issued from these machines are cardboard MIFARE Ultralight C cards.

In the past, single trip tickets were also available on buses. These were simply thermal paper receipts and did not need to be validated. As with prior to Opal, these tickets were not available on PrePay routes or stops.[60] Starting in 2018, PrePay routes became known as 'Opal only' routes and many more routes became designated as 'Opal only', with no tickets sold on board.[61][62] All remaining routes became Opal only on 25 March 2020 due to COVID concerns.[63]

A standalone Opal reader

Contactless payments

A trial supporting direct contactless payments from debit and credit cards was introduced on 6 July 2017. This allows passengers to tap on or off using their card or a mobile device linked to their card's account, thereby removing the need to use an Opal card or ticket. The trial began on the F1 Manly ferry service, initially only for holders of Mastercard contactless cards. All passengers were charged the price of an adult Opal single trip ticket.[64] On 12 March 2018, the trial was expanded to include all Sydney Ferries and Sydney light rail services, and support for Visa and American Express cards was also added.[65][66] On 26 November 2018, it was further expanded to cover all Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink intercity services.[67] The contactless fare structure was also changed to charge normal Opal peak hour fares, and support for the daily, weekly and Sunday caps was introduced. However contactless payments could not be used to benefit from or pay for Weekly Travel Rewards, Transfer Discounts, Off-peak train fare discounts, Trip Advantage and free access to Opal park & ride carparks.[67][68] On 29 July 2019, all Opal benefits except park & ride and on demand services, were extended to contactless payments.[69][70] The rollout of contactless payment to Opal controlled buses commenced on 2 August 2019 and was complete by the end of September 2019.[71][72][73] For detailed rollout information see Contactless rollout on buses.

The technology is based on a system developed by Cubic Transport Systems on licence from Transport for London.[74][75]

Opal Digital Card

On 8 December 2020, registrations opened to trial an Opal Digital Card where the Opal Card is loaded onto mobile devices such as phones and watches, which can then be used to tap on/tap off, instead of using a physical card. This is available for Adult Opal fares only, initially on Apple and Samsung devices with Android 8.0 or later, with Google devices to be added at a later date. The trial which will run for 12 months, is limited to 10,000 users. It can not be used on OpalPay services or park & ride.[76][77][78] The trial ended, with all trial cards disabled and refunded, on 12 December 2021.[79]

Fares

Opal integrates ticketing on all modes of public transport; however, it does not fully integrate fares. The fare types for reusable cards and contactless payments are metro/train, bus/light rail and ferry. All modes except ferries offer separate peak period and off-peak fares. All fares are calculated based on the distance travelled and are for single trips only. Opal's non-reusable single trip tickets use the same mode groupings as the standard fares but offer no off-peak fares and are more expensive than the equivalent standard fare.

The following tables list Opal fares:

Metro and Train
  As of 16 Oct 230–10 km10–20 km20–35 km35–65 km65 km+
Adult cards & contactless (peak) $4.00 $4.97 $5.72 $7.65 $9.84
Adult cards & contactless (off-peak) $2.80 $3.47 $4.00 $5.35 $6.88
Other cards (peak) $2.00 $2.49 $2.86^ $3.83^ $4.92^
Other cards (off-peak) $1.40 $1.74 $2.00 $2.68^ $3.44^
Adult single trip $4.80 $6.00 $6.90 $9.20 $11.80
Child/Youth single trip $2.40 $3.00 $3.40 $4.60 $5.90
Bus or Light Rail
  As of 16 Oct 230–3 km3–8 km>8 km
Adult cards & contactless (peak) $3.20 $4.15 $5.33
Adult cards & contactless (off-peak) $2.24 $2.90 $3.73
Other cards (peak) $1.60 $2.08 $2.67^
Other cards (off-peak) $1.12 $1.45 $1.87
Adult single trip $4.00 $5.00 $6.40
Child/Youth single trip $2.00 $2.50 $3.20
Ferry
  As of 16 Oct 230–9 km9 km+
Adult cards & contactless $6.79 $8.49
Other cards $3.40^ $4.25^
Adult single trip $8.20 $10.20
Child/Youth single trip $4.10 $5.10
Bus/Light Rail fares apply to Newcastle's Stockton Ferry

^= $2.50 cap applies for Senior/Pensioner cardholders

A surcharge is levied when using the two privately operated stations serving Sydney Airport:

Airport station access fee
  As of 16 Oct 23[80]Adult cardsOther cards
Domestic or International Airport to/from all other stations $16.68 $14.92
Domestic or International Airport to/from Green Square $10.78 $10.78
Domestic or International Airport to/from Mascot $7.44 $7.44
Domestic to/from International $4.00 $4.00

As there are no return or periodical options available, reusable Opal cards include a number of caps to reduce the cost for frequent travellers:

Fare caps
  As of 16 Oct 2023[81]Adult cardsOther concession
cards		Senior/pensioner
cards
Daily Mon–Thu $17.80 $8.40 $2.50
Daily Fri, Sat and Sun $8.90 $4.45 $2.50
Weekly $50.00 $25.00 $17.50
Weekly airport
station access fee		 $33.84 $30.33 $30.33

Other key discounts include:

  • A transfer discount of $2 for Adult cards and $1 for other cards when transferring between modes (halved when on half-fare discount), except between metro and train.

Fares have increased on a Monday from July to October generally matching inflation, but with some adjustment from government directives. The caps for Senior/Pensioner cards, the transfer discount and the Weekly caps (since introduced) have not changed since 2016.

Being a distance-based system, Opal users are required to tap on on all modes & tap off on all modes (apart from the F1 Manly Ferry) to ensure the correct fare is charged. If a user only taps at one end of their journey, a default fare will be charged, corresponding to the maximum fare on that mode of travel. However, a lower default fare applies if it is not possible to reach the maximum fare on the route for which the tap on took place. If the user fails to tap off, the default fare is charged after exceeding the maximum journey time (5 hours for most train trips) or when tapping on at a gated station for the next journey. Users do not need to tap off on the F1 Manly Ferry, as the fare is charged when tapping on.

An off-peak discount applies to encourage travel outside of peak times. This discount originally only applied to train trips only, but from 6 July 2020, it was enabled on bus and light rail as well. The discount is currently set at its original level of 30%. It was temporarily increased to 50% between 6 July and 5 October 2020. Peak times were originally between 07:00 to 09:00 (for Sydney Trains stations), 06:00 to 08:00 (for most intercity stations) and 16:00 to 18:30 (for all stations) on weekdays. Even earlier peak times applied at certain intercity stations located very far from Sydney. Peak times were widened to (6:00 for intercity stations) 6:30 to 10:00 and 15:00 to 19:00 on weekdays on 6 July 2020.[82]

Transport Officers and NSW Police, who randomly patrol services, are equipped with portable card readers and mobile phone based readers.[83]

Trips, journeys and transfers

Fares are categorised in two ways: a trip is a single unit of travel, from tap on to tap off; a journey is a collection of at least 1 trip taken within a short space of time of each other. Trips will be counted as one journey if a passenger taps on for a new trip within 1 hour of tapping off from their previous trip (on the Manly ferry the time limit is 130 minutes from tap on). Trips are used to calculate fares. Fares for consecutive trips involving the same mode of transport are combined so the passenger is charged as if they have taken just one trip, from its origin to ultimate destination – this is known as Trip Advantage.[84] Journeys involving transfers between modes generally attract separate fares for each mode. The exception is the Stockton ferry in Newcastle, which is classified as a bus.[85] A journey can consist of a maximum of eight trips.

Changes to fare calculation

Since 5 September 2016, a discount has applied when changing modes during a journey, other than metro/train which are treated as the same mode.[86]

In 2014, the government stated that when the CBD and South East Light Rail opened in 2019, passengers would pay a single fare for a journey involving the use of both light rail and buses, however this was before the introduction of the transfer discount and ultimately not implemented.[87]

Previously once a journey count of eight was reached during the week (Monday to Sunday), travel was free for the remainder of the week. This discount was changed to half-price travel on 5 September 2016 and removed altogether on 16 Oct 2023.[86] When an Opal customer completes eight trips on the same mode of transport (even within the 1-hour transfer), a new journey commences. The number of trips required to force the creation of a new journey was increased from four trips to eight trips in March 2016 to reduce the number of short trips made simply to complete a journey and reach the journey limit.[88][89][90]

Topping up
Opal Card top up machines at a light rail stop

Placing money onto an Opal card is known as topping up. As of January 2016, there are over 2,000 Opal card retailers that provide top up services across New South Wales.[91] There are also top up machines at railway stations, light rail stops, and ferry wharves. Opal cards may also be linked to a credit or debit card, allowing users to top up their balance online or by phone.[92] When linked to a credit or debit card, Opal cards can be configured to automatically top up the balance when it falls below a pre-set amount (auto top up), currently $10.

Top up Limits
Card Type Minimum Top up Amount Maximum Card Balance
Topup Location
Retailer Topup Machine Auto Topup/Online/Phone
Adult $20 $20 $10 $250
Senior/Pensioner $2.50 $5 $5 $250
All others $10 $10 $5 $150

Infrastructure

Top up machines

Over 350 top up machines are installed at railway stations, light rail stops and ferry wharves throughout the Opal area.[29][93][94] The first generation machines can only provide top ups with a debit or credit card. Second generation machines provide top ups and can also sell single trip tickets. There are two types of second-generation machines – the difference between the types is the ability to accept cash in addition to electronic payment. On 11 March 2015, the first top up machines became available at the recently opened Edmondson Park and Leppington railway stations.[95] This had been extended to nearly 100 stations and wharves by July 2015.[96] In 2016, the second generation machines are being installed with 58 of the credit card only and 118 of the cash and credit card machines installed as at 23 June 2016.[97]

Opal readers
Opal reader on a standalone pole

Opal readers are used to tap on or off. They are installed atop existing ticket barriers, or mounted on a stand-alone pole at railway stations, light rail stops or ferry wharves, or integrated into light or power poles. Buses are the exception, with readers installed on the bus itself. The rollout of Opal technology has seen a new style of gates introduced at a number of major stations.[98] When tapping on or off, all readers display the current balance of the card or an error message if the tap failed to work. Tap offs also display the fare deducted for the trip. A trip that is part of an existing journey will display "transfer" when tapping on. For contactless cards and school cards a green tick is shown.

Non-adult Opal cards have their own distinct 'ding' when tapping on or off, in addition to having a light mounted atop a train station or ferry wharf barrier lit up, allowing for Transport Officers and police to identify and enforce correct fares.

The design of the cigar-shaped Opal poles won the Transport category of the Sydney Design Awards, the Australian International Design Award and the Powerhouse Museum Design Award.[99][100][101]

Supporting products and services

Transport for NSW operates the Opal website and a phone hotline for customer service, card top ups, orders and inquiries. It provides an "Opal Travel" app for Android and iOS devices. The app includes a trip planning facility, allows Opal card top ups and provides access to Opal card data.[102] Android devices that include near field communication hardware can scan an Opal card to access live data, including the card's balance, tap status (tapped on/off), weekly travel reward status, top up status and card number.[103]

Beginning in January 2018, an Opal Park & Ride trial scheme was introduced at selected commuter car parks.[104] Passengers are able to park their cars for free for up to 18 hours if they take public transport and use the carpark using the same Opal card.[105] The scheme is intended to reduce the number of spaces used by those who aren't catching public transport.[104]

Transport for NSW also sells a number of mobile phone case accessories that incorporate a pocket for the Opal card.[106]

OpalPay

First introduced in December 2017, OpalPay is a facility allowing Opal cards to be used to pay fares on a number of privately owned services that operate independently from Transport for NSW's contracted services, and on on-demand minibus services.[107] Fares on these services are set by the owner of the service and Opal's regular discounts do not apply. Concession fares are accepted on some services. OpalPay can be accepted on some private ferry services and On Demand bus services.[107]

Reception and usage

By June 2016, 7.7 million cards had been issued. The most widely used card types (in descending order) were Adult, Senior/Pensioner, Child/Youth and Concession.[108]

Two billion trips had been taken on the Opal network by May 2018. An average of 13 million trips were taken each week and there were more than 3.7 million Opal cards in active use.[109]

Transport for NSW has stated that customers forget to tap off after about 3% of journeys, so they are charged the default fare.[110]

The Opal electronic ticketing system has won a range of awards reflecting excellence in design for its unique card reader poles used at ungated ferry wharves, light rail stops and railway stations. In addition, the project and its implementation were recognised for excellence by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia. On 12 March 2014, Opal was awarded Australia's 2014 Smart Infrastructure Project of the Year.[111][112]

The introduction of Opal caused debate over the different fare structures of Opal and the former MyZone paper tickets. Despite being cheaper than single cash fares, Opal single fares were more expensive than the bus and ferry TravelTens, and Opal provides no equivalent to the all-you-can-use MyTrain or MyMulti periodical tickets.[113] An unofficial fare comparison site called Opal or Not claimed that more than half of all the public transport trips it compared were more expensive using Opal than with paper tickets.[113][114] Transport for NSW disputes the site's findings, calling it "riddled with errors" and stating that only 7% would "potentially" pay more, but refused to release the analysis behind that figure.[113]

In addition, the initial lack of transfer benefits was criticised. Corinne Mulley, the chair of the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, described the launch of the card as a "missed opportunity" since, at the time, Opal retained many of the "interchange penalties" of paying for transfers, and Opal was more expensive than MyMulti for some multi-modal commuters.[115] Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian rejected the criticism, stating that "we believe that customers should pay for the mode they are using".[116]

Privacy

Significant privacy issues have been raised, as Opal travel information is available to government departments without a warrant.[117] Among those who have expressed concerns have been New South Wales Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Coomb, the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association of NSW, and the University of Sydney.[117]

During the Opal card customer trial period, all Opal cards were required to be registered with the customer's personal information. This allowed for feedback and issues to be recorded against an individual's account. Registered cards offer the ability to protect the balance and transfer it to a new card, if a card is lost, stolen or damaged. Data is made available to other NSW government departments and law enforcement agencies.[118] Concerns about privacy have been repeatedly raised in the mainstream media, with commentators questioning the extent to which user data can be accessed by authorities.[119][120][121] Since July 2014, unregistered adult and child/youth Opal cards have been available.[122] In December 2014, University of Sydney delayed collaboration with the new Opal card system, citing privacy concerns,[123] whereas Macquarie University, University of New South Wales and Australian Catholic University had already agreed to provide the "student data" to the card network.

References
  1. Opal Terms of Use Archived 6 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW
  2. "On what services can I use the Opal card?". transportnsw.info. Transport for NSW. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  3. Hall R & West A "Inner-city commuters hit by hefty fare shake-up" Archived 5 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Morning Herald 2 February 2010
  4. Clennell, Andrew; Besser, Linton (4 November 2010). "Cubic Branded Dishonest by NSW Supreme Court Judge". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  5. "NSW ends TRG Tcard contract" The Australian 9 November 2007
  6. "Court orders government to hand over Tcard documents" Archived 16 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Morning Herald 9 June 2010
  7. "NSW taxpayers 'spared $200m loss' as Tcard trial aborted" Archived 18 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Morning Herald 17 February 2012
  8. Besser, Linton (3 June 2008). "Tcard: Here we go again". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
  9. "NSW revives failed Tcard project" ABC News 3 July 2008
  10. "Pearl Consortium wins NSW Tcard contract". iTwire. 12 April 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  11. "London's Oyster creator scores Tcard contract" Archived 8 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Morning Herald 11 April 2010
  12. Commuters get reprieve from Opal fare rises as changes considered Sydney Morning Herald 28 June 2023
  13. "Opal a gem for Public Transport". Transport for New South Wales. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  14. "New name's the ticket for Sydney transport" Archived 4 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine ABC News 13 September 2011
  15. "Test of city's ticket to ride will decide if Opal is Coalition's trump card". Sydney Morning Herald. 26 November 2012. Archived from the original on 28 November 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  16. "Enthusiasm but few takers on Opal launch day". Sydney Morning Herald. 7 December 2012. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  17. Opal card rollout on Sydney Ferries Archived 2013-08-25 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW
  18. Opal smartcard comes to more Sydney commuters Archived 1 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Morning Herald 30 August 2013
  19. Opal card rolling out as 11 paper tickets in Newcastle retired Archived 2014-11-26 at the Wayback Machine, Transport for NSW, Retrieved 19 November 2014
  20. Opal rollout begins for train customers Archived 2013-06-09 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 2 June 2013
  21. The end of ticket queues: Minister announces Opal trial Archived 7 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Morning Herald 2 June 2013
  22. Gladys Berejiklian says Opal available at all city, intercity stations April 11 Archived 3 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Daily Telegraph 26 March 2014
  23. Opal card trial for bus customers begins Archived 31 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 26 September 2013
  24. Opal available on all trains from today as bus rollout kicks off Archived 2014-04-13 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 11 April 2014
  25. Opal card use on Sydney light rail starts on December 1 Archived 23 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Morning Herald 23 November 2014
  26. Opal to go live on light rail months ahead of schedule Archived 2014-11-26 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 24 November 2014
  27. Opal rollout extends to light rail Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine Transport Info NSW 25 November 2014
  28. "Job done – Opal rollout complete". Transport for NSW. 1 December 2014. Archived from the original on 8 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  29. "The last paper tickets to be wrapped up on August 1". Transport for NSW. 4 July 2016. Archived from the original on 6 July 2016.
  30. Opal card pop-up kiosks now located at 28 major Sydney stations Archived 2 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 28 July 2014
  31. 11 paper tickets no longer sold in Newcastle from 20 November Archived 2014-12-08 at the Wayback Machine Transport Info 3 November 2014
  32. Time to tap into Opal – majority of paper tickets to be phased out Archived 2015-08-04 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 4 August 2015
  33. Most paper tickets no longer sold from 1 January 2016 Archived 6 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine Transport NSW Info 4 August 2015
  34. From 1 January 2016 no longer sold Archived 1 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine Opal Card Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  35. "Students join NSW Opal concession ride". Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  36. Transport for NSW, Customer Experience Division (12 September 2023). "Opal comes to Manly Fast Ferry". transportnsw.info. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  37. Order an Opal Card Opal Card Retrieved 30 July 2015
  38. Opal card type images Archived 2014-06-25 at the Wayback Machine, Transport for NSW
  39. Types of Opal cards Archived 22 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine Opal
  40. Opal Cards now available from 1,000 retailers including 7-Eleven and Woolworths Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 10 August 2014
  41. How do I top up my Opal card? Archived 2014-10-24 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 28 July 2014
  42. "New Opal card for children released ahead of school holidays". Transport for NSW. 6 April 2014. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  43. Opal cards available at 1,000 retail outlets, shopping centres and even more pop-up kiosks Archived 2014-08-11 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 4 August 2014
  44. Opal cards to be sold at 1000 stores as paper tickets go Archived 9 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Sydney Morning Herald
  45. New Gold Opal Card with $2.50 daily cap available for seniors and pensioners Archived 2014-10-30 at the Wayback Machine, Transport for NSW, Retrieved 30 October 2014
  46. Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales Number 95 Archived 7 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine, NSW Government Gazette, 31 October 2014
  47. Opal rolls out to more than 450 buses in Northern Sydney as Senior/Pensioner information kiosks start Archived 2014-11-10 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 9 November 2014
  48. Concession Opal card starts rolling out for university students Archived 2014-12-19 at the Wayback Machine Opal tickets 18 December 2014
  49. Tertiary Students Archived 1 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW
  50. Concession Card Launch Archived 2015-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, Opal Announcement Retrieved 2 February 2015
  51. Tertiary students tap on with Opal from today Archived 2015-02-02 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 2 February 2015
  52. Tertiary students tap on with Opal Archived 3 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Morning Herald 1 February 2015
  53. Transforming ticketing for tertiary students Archived 2015-02-02 at the Wayback Machine Opal Card 13 July 2015.
  54. Opal for job seekers Archived 2015-06-29 at the Wayback Machine Opal Card retrieved 29 June 2015
  55. Opal takes centre stage at Central Archived 1 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 29 June 2015
  56. "Opal cards – Primary and secondary school students". Transport for NSW. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  57. "Transport for NSW 2015-16 Annual Report Volume 1" (PDF). Transport for NSW. p. 86. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  58. Transport for NSW, Customer Experience Division. "Employee Opal Cards are changing". transportnsw.info. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  59. "It's Opal time – paper tickets no longer sold or accepted from today". Transport for NSW. 1 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016.
  60. "PrePay buses". Transport Info NSW. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  61. More Sydney buses moving to Opal only services Transport for NSW 18 November 2018
  62. Most buses in the North West of Sydney are moving to Opal only services Archived 17 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 16 June 2019
  63. "TfNSW Advice Regarding Coronavirus – Bus Services Handling of Cash". Dion's Bus Service. 25 March 2020. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  64. "Contactless payments on Sydney Ferries Manly Service". Opal. 7 July 2017. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  65. O'Sullivan, Matt (12 March 2018). "Credit card payments for trips expanded across ferries, light rail". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  66. "Contactless payments available on light rail and Sydney Ferries". Opal. Transport for NSW. 12 March 2018. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  67. More ways to pay on trains, ferries and light rail Transport for NSW
  68. Cubic and Transport for New South Wales Extend Contactless Payment to Sydney’s Trains Archived 27 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine Cubic Corporation
  69. Contactless payments Archived 4 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW
  70. Savings for commuters using contactless payments Archived 28 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine Commonwealth Bank 28 July 2019
  71. Sydney buses to allow payment by credit card Archived 28 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Morning Herald 28 July 2019
  72. Contactless transport payments hit the road Archived 1 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 28 July 2019
  73. Contactless payments on bus services Archived 24 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 15 August 2019
  74. "Sydney to use Transport for London open payment technology". Railway Gazette International. 20 April 2016. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016.
  75. "Licencing London's contactless ticketing system". Transport for London. 13 July 2016. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  76. Opal digital card: convenience for customers Archived 7 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 8 December 2020
  77. Opal digital card trial now open Archived 8 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 8 December 2020
  78. Opal digital card: Where it can be used Archived 19 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 16 June 2021
  79. Transport for NSW, Customer Experience Division. "Opal digital card trial". transportnsw.info. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  80. "Getting to and from Sydney Airport". transportnsw.info. Transport for NSW. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  81. "Getting to and from Sydney Airport". transportnsw.info. Transport for NSW. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  82. Opal fare changes from 5 Octobery Archived 26 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 29 September 2020
  83. "Fare compliance – tickets". transportnsw.info. Transport for NSW. Archived from the original on 18 August 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  84. Opal card benefits Archived 5 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW
  85. "Opal in Newcastle". Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  86. "Opal multi-mode travel will become cheaper". Transport for NSW. 19 May 2016. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  87. "Opal to go live on light rail months ahead of schedule". Transport for NSW. 24 November 2014. Archived from the original on 26 November 2014.
  88. "Opal loophole – If you're determined enough, you can travel full fare all week for less than $20". Reddit. mubd1234. 16 June 2014. Archived from the original on 23 September 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  89. Saulwick, Jacob; Kontominas, Bellinda (15 April 2015). "Opal card shuttle: Sydney Light Rail stops in Pyrmont help commuters beat the system". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  90. "Opal runners tapped out for a fairer system". Transport for NSW. 21 March 2016. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  91. Opal card retailer list Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Opal
  92. "Top up". opal.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  93. Opal top up machines to be rolled out from early 2015 Archived 2014-12-16 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW 10 December 2014
  94. Opal top up machines coming to NSW train stations, ferry wharves, light rail stops Archived 1 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Morning Herald 10 December 2014
  95. Top up machines now available Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine Opal website retrieved 11 March 2015
  96. Top up machines now available Archived 11 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine Transport NSW Information Retrieved 4 May 2016
  97. Opal single trip tickets – Customer trial Archived 2016-06-11 at the Wayback Machine Transport NSW Information Retrieved 4 May 2016
  98. Fare dodgers to face new hurdles at ticket gates Archived 2016-06-16 at the Wayback Machine Transport for New South Wales 27 August 2015
  99. "Opal Card Ticket Reader". Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  100. "Good Design Australia 2013 - Opal Card Ticketing Reader". Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  101. "Cubic Opal Card System's Reader Wins Third Award; Now Featured at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum > Cubic CTS". Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  102. "Opal Travel App". opal.com.au. Transport for NSW. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  103. "Where can I use it?". Opal. Transport for NSW. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  104. "Opal park & ride securing more parking for public transport customers". Transport for NSW. 4 August 2018. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  105. "Transport Park&Ride car parks". Transport Info NSW. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  106. "Transport for NSW – Online Shop". Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  107. "How OpalPay fares work". Transport for NSW. Archived from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  108. "Transport for NSW 2015-16 Annual Report Volume 1" (PDF). Transport for NSW. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  109. "Opal celebrates two billion customer trips and $160 million in savings". transport.nsw.gov.au. Transport for NSW. 1 May 2018. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  110. "Opal take-up rate soars". Sydney Morning Herald. 22 May 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  111. http://www.nsw.gov.au/news/opal-wins-national-infrastructure-award/ Archived 21 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  112. "Sydney's Smart Card Wins Smart Infrastructure Award". Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  113. "Take-up of Opal card low as site shows trips are more expensive". 5 March 2014. Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  114. Opal or Not Archived 15 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine Opal or Not website Retrieved 7 November 2014
  115. "Fares fair for some, but Opal is not the ticket for all". 13 October 2013. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  116. "Opal smartcard debuts on Sydney buses". 26 September 2013. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  117. Student Opal card privacy concerns limit university participation Archived 29 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Morning Herald 29 December 2014
  118. "Opal Privacy Policy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  119. Riemer, Kai. "Privacy has taken a back seat amid the Opal debate". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 19 November 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  120. "Sydney Opal card travel history can be accessed by police". 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  121. "No warrants needed to access Opal card records". Sydney Morning Herald. 15 July 2014. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  122. "Unregistered Opal cards now available from retailers". Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  123. Pallavi Singhal. "Student Opal card privacy concerns limit university participation". Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.

[1]

  1. "Check Opal Card Balance". WeQuestion. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.