From today pensioners and senior public transport users will no longer have to carry their physical Gold Opal card to access $2.50 capped daily fares or their weekly fare cap, with the Opal 2.0 upgrades now allowing them to tap on with their bank card, phone or smart watch.
Passengers can still use their physical cards if they choose, but can now access the new digital option by opening a Transport Connect account online, adding their Seniors or Pensioner Concession card details and linking it to a credit or debit card.
Impacting up to 800,000 public transport users, this Opal upgrade brings senior passengers into line with other concession passengers, who started accessing these upgrades from mid-April when the rollout began with students, apprentices and job seekers.
Over the past three months, almost 8,000 concession holders have signed up, with Transport for NSW modelling predicting between 30-40 per cent of seniors and pensioners will switch to contactless payments over time.
This upgrade is the first stage of the rollout of Opal 2.0, an overhaul of the NSW public transport ticketing system, which will display real-time information on public transport services including screens on buses for the first time, real-time bus tracking and patronage, a new improved Opal app, improved integrated event ticketing technology and digital Opal cards that can be added to your device.
Opal 2.0 will also see 25,000 new Opal readers installed across rail, metro, bus, light rail and ferries, replacing the familiar machines passengers have “tapped on” to for more than a decade and have now reached their end of life.
With Opal 2.0 contracts now signed, detailed design of the new Opal ticketing and bus technology systems is progressing.
The Minns Labor Government is helping families with the cost of transport to help ease some of the pressure on household budgets.
The weekly toll cap has been lowered to $50 for 12 months and toll admin fees – which cost motorists $60 million last year – have been scrapped.
We’ve also taken $100 off the cost of rego for privately owned vehicles.
Opal fare increases have also been frozen for the next 12 months to help people with the cost of public transport.
Minister for Transport John Graham said:
“This is a great win for hundreds of thousands of Gold Opal travellers who can now access their travel discounts with a swipe of their phone.
“Just because someone’s over 60, it doesn’t mean they don’t embrace new technology. Now concession holders of all ages can access cheap transport fares without having to carry their physical Opal card.
“We also know many of our Gold Opal card holders love using the physical card – and we want to assure them that it isn’t going anywhere.
“Our senior public transport passengers are our biggest group of concession holders by far, so it’s great we’ve been able extend this new technology to them.”
Minister for Seniors Jodie Harrison said:
“Public transport is a vital service for seniors, helping them to independently travel in a way that is safe, affordable, and accessible.
“This is about making it easier for them to tap on and tap off like everyone else but still be able to access their seniors concession fares of $2.50 a day, and pay no more than $17.50 per week.
“With more Gold Opal passengers using the network than ever before, this exciting upgrade means they now can enjoy the convenience of contactless payments using their bank card, phone, or smart watch and keep their cheap fares.
“I’d encourage seniors to sign up, or ask family or friends to help you, so that even if you don’t have your physical card, you won’t have to forego your discount.”
Transport for NSW Secretary Josh Murray said:
“This is another step forward in the evolution of Opal, delivering advanced contactless payment options and discounts for one of our most important passenger groups.
“It means 970,000 passengers including tertiary and TAFE students, trainees and apprentices and now seniors and pensioners can now tap into the ease of Contactless Concessions and ditch their physical Opal card if that suits them.
“We know seniors and pensioners are enthusiastic patrons of the Opal network and while everyone retains the choice to stick with a physical plastic Opal card, we expect this group to be the latest to switch to digital payments in strong numbers.”
Retired insurance professional Chris Grant said:
“I find myself leaving the house with my wallet less and less these days, and paying for things using the credit card on my phone more and more.
“I even forgot to take my wallet and my Gold Opal card with me the last time I travelled on public transport, which meant I had to pay full fare, so I’ll definitely be using this contactless option from now on.”
Retired medical researcher Cate Green said:
“One day I saw a young woman tap an Opal reader with her smart watch and thought: ‘I’d like to do that!
“I spoke to the stationmaster because I’ve got a smart watch too and he told me I couldn’t do so with a Gold Opal card, which was disappointing – so I’m really happy that I can do that now.”