Sydney commuters will soon be able to take advantage of cheaper public transport fares on Fridays under new changes coming to New South Wales’ smartcard ticketing system Opal.
Transport for NSW currently applies a 30 per cent discount for all off-peak travel on weekends, public holidays and outside of morning and evening rush hour periods from 6.30am to 10am and 3pm to 7pm.
The state government will move to extend these allowances to Fridays as overall Opal fares are set for an inflation-driven increase of 3.7 per cent this year.
However, another Opal benefit called Weekly Travel Reward, which provides half-price fares for all trips after a commuter has paid for eight journeys in a week, will be terminated.
Opal concessions for weekends will now include Fridays. Picture: Roni Bintang/Getty Images
The Chris Minns-led state government argues removing this weekly incentive and including Fridays in concession travel days instead, will help a larger number of residents as people were commuting to work far lesser than pre-pandemic levels.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen said despite the annual Opal price hike of 3.7 per cent, only an average of $1 will be added to an individual’s average weekly fares.
“Every weekend will soon be a long weekend when it comes to Opal fares as we make Friday travel cheaper for everyone,” she said.
The changes will see the weekend travel cap of $8.40 a day for an adult apply to Fridays, which with the price hike will jump up to about $8.70.
For children, students, and concession card holders the new cap will roughly amount to $4.40 a day.
All Friday Opal fares will become 30 per cent cheaper from October 16. Picture: Transport for NSW
Opal benefits will apply across all services on the transport network, including metro, train, bus, ferry and light rail services.
Passengers using contactless payment methods linked to a bank card will also be eligible for the benefits.
The annual rate rise by 3.7 per cent marks a jump up from the previous two years, with FY23 and FY22 seeing increases of three per cent and 1.5 per cent respectively, however is lesser than the inflationary rate of six per cent from the quarter dated till June this year.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen said despite the annual price hike of 3.7 per cent, only an average of $1 will be added to an individual’s average weekly fares. Picture: Transport for NSW
Opal fares are typically increased at the start of each financial year in July, but the NSW government pushed back this timeline by three months to ease financial pressures on residents amid heightened costs of living.
The changes are expected to kick in from October 16, weeks following the NSW Budget announcement on September 19.
(Sky News)
