Monthly Archives: July 2015

Concession Opal Card available to more tertiary institutions

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From 26 July 2015, eligible tertiary students enrolled at the following institutions can tap into the benefits of Opal:

  • Australian College of Christian Studies
  • Australian Institute of Professional Education
  • Basair Aviation College
  • BCC Institute
  • Canberra Institute of Technology
  • Canterbury Business College
  • Emmaus Bible College
  • Empower Institute
  • Institute of Health and Nursing Australia
  • Kenvale College
  • Kiama Community College
  • Macleay College
  • NAISDA Dance College
  • Ready Health Nursing College
  • Satyananda Yoga Academy
  • St George & Sutherland Community College
  • The Elite Hair and Beauty Academy
  • The Sydney Business & Travel Academy
  • Unity College Australia
  • University of Technology Sydney
  • UTS Insearch

The Concession Opal card is being rolled out progressively in 2015 as each tertiary institution is ready. For eligibility criteria and to see if your institution is ready visit the Opal website.

Opal Revenue Protection App: Shortlisted 2015 Sydney Design Awards →

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ORPA – TRANSPORT FOR NSW App Screenshot 1

Great to see that Transport for NSW’s Transport Officers get to use such a beautifully designed app to make their jobs easier – the ability to quickly check the status of an Opal card from the one smartphone device they’re already carrying for work.

The Opal card uses near field communication (NFC) technology that allows users to tap on and off at card readers across the Opal public transport network. ORPA takes advantage of this same type of technology, which is available on Android smartphones, to read the data on Opal cards. The app checks free read data as well as encrypted content stored on the card, and replaces the existing, single function, read-only portable readers that Transport Officers used to carry.

ORPA is a great example of how mobile technology creates great opportunities for organisations to streamline their operations while also building in flexibility for changes in the future.

More information on ORPA on Outware’s website available here.

Transport for NSW: Scan your Opal card with Opal Travel →

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One of the ‘official’ apps endorsed by Transport for NSW now also allows you to scan your Opal card with an Android phone.

Using a Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled Android device, you can now scan your Opal card to check your balance, travel rewards and more.

This functionally is available on Android devices only. Apple reserves NFC functionality for Apple Pay only.

Once you scan your Opal card, the following information displays:

  • Opal card balance
  • Weekly travel rewards
  • Last tap details
  • Opal card number, status and auto top up status (active or inactive)

Opal Travel is available from Google Play.

opal-travel-app-balanceopal-travel-app-scan

What is the Opal card minimum balance?

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To travel with Opal, all that’s required is the minimum balance at time of tap on.

The minimum value to tap on with Opal depends on the time of tap on and the mode of transport. For trains, the minimum balance is $2.36 during off-peak and $3.38 during peak hours. For ferries it is $5.74 and for buses or light rail, $2.10.