Sydney to get transport electronic ticketing system

After more than a decade of delays, the New South Wales (NSW) government in Australia is to begin trials of the Opal electronic ticketing system on select ferry routes, with a trial set to commence on Sydney ferries in December. NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said that commuters would be able to use a single card to pay for tickets on ferries, trains, buses, and light rail by 2015. The Opal card will be available on all Sydney ferries and some trains in 2013, with buses and light rail to come on
November 27, 2012 Read time: 2 mins

After more than a decade of delays, the New South Wales (NSW) government in Australia is to begin trials of the Opal electronic ticketing system on select ferry routes, with a trial set to commence on Sydney ferries in December.

NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said that commuters would be able to use a single card to pay for tickets on ferries, trains, buses, and light rail by 2015.  The Opal card will be available on all Sydney ferries and some trains in 2013, with buses and light rail to come on line two years later, Berejiklian said.

"This is something that will change the way we use public transport," she continued.  "It will be an easy system, where commuters simply have to tap on and tap off, and it will be like having an e-tag in your pocket."

She said that fares would remain the same during the trial, while further announcements on charges would be made during the system's rollout.  The Opal card itself will be free, with public transport users putting money on it in a similar way to the e-tag for cars, Berejiklian said.  She said that a big benefit of the Opal card will be that after eight journeys using it in a given week, all further trips will be free.

Related Content

  • Smarter bus travel comes to Greater Manchester
    November 19, 2015
    Millions of bus passengers in Greater Manchester will benefit from cheaper fares with the introduction of new smart multi-operator bus travel. The scheme is one of the largest in the UK outside London and is the result of collaboration between more than 30 bus operators through industry body Greater Manchester Travelcards (GMTL), the organisation behind the System One brand, in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). Passengers can now purchase multi-operator travel, which is store
    Read More
  • Transformation of UK transport ‘has hardly begun’
    November 13, 2015
    As the Highways UK event approaches on 25-26 November, Jennie Martin, secretary general of ITS United Kingdom, believes the technological transformation of transport in the UK has hardly begun. She says, “The changes that are coming are going to affect everyone. We are going to be answering questions most people haven’t even thought to ask. In ITS, the UK is ahead of the game, but the game is changing. It’s an incredibly exciting time.’”
    Read More
  • The growth of ITS service solutions providers
    July 26, 2012
    Econolite's new subsidiary Aegis ITS has been set up to address the increasingly complex and exacting needs of agencies in the ITS sector. Chief Operating Officer Doug Terry talks about the evolution to service solution provider. A few very notable and honourable exceptions notwithstanding, it is these days becoming increasingly rare to find a public agency which develops its own traffic management systems. Indeed, most now rely on specialist manufacturers and suppliers to fulfil their needs. This has the h
    Read More
  • Cooperative infrastructure - the future for tolling?
    February 2, 2012
    Leading European tolling solution providers give a snapshot of how they think tolling's technological future will look
    Read More

Highlighted Content