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Transport for NSW statement on Opal →

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Beau

Transport for NSW, 23rd May 2015

A media report today claiming that there is a $20 million revenue shortfall on State Transit buses because of Opal is completely false and misleading.
Over the last 12 months, revenue for STA buses has met expectations, with numbers comparable to recent years.
The claim published today uses incomparable data to make assertions which are consequently false and misleading.
Transport for NSW has always structured Opal fares and benefits such as free trips into its revenue projections. These reward free trips are an incentive to use public transport more, and this is proven by the increased use of public transport on weekends and on trains in the CBD.
The claim that earlier this month transport authorities were forced to install new software to fix Opal is false and misleading. Software upgrades are normal and standard activities on every electronic system.

Daily Telegraph: Taxpayers tapped out in $20m Opal card glitch →

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Beau

EDIT: Transport for NSW has issued a Media Release in response here

Richard Noone & Jim O’Rourke, The Daily Telegraph, 23rd May 2015

Opal Card ticket machine malfunctions are costing the state government tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue.

Passengers and drivers on State Transit Authority buses have been complaining for months about the “tap on, tap off” travel smartcard machines breaking down on a daily basis.
Drivers on the fleet’s 5000 buses say faulty card readers are letting passengers travel free on “entire bus runs’’.
Tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue have been racked up, a shortfall to be ultimately footed by taxpayers.
Exclusive data obtained by The Saturday Telegraph reveals fare box revenue in the 12 months since the Opal card rollout is just $330.2 million.
That is $20 million less than the four-year average of $350.25 million identified by an Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal review from 2008-09 to 2011-12. Continue reading →

SMH: Opal card data surrendered to police and immigration authorities →

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Beau

Kelsey Munro, Sydney Morning Herald, 22nd May 2015

Transport for NSW has provided police and immigration authorities with access to the personal information of dozens of Opal card users suspected of criminal offences.
Registered Opal cards, which are linked with users’ names, addresses, email and phone contacts and bank accounts, provide the authorities with the ability to track a users’ journeys across the public transport network by time and date.
The first figures on information disclosures to be released by Transport for NSW indicate there have been 166 Law Enforcement Requests from NSW Police, and 15 from the Department of Immigration, since the full rollout of the Opal system in December 2014. Personal information was disclosed on 57 of these requests: 19 for proceedings of an offence, 6 missing persons and 32 on reasonable grounds of an offence, according to a department spokesman. Continue reading →

Daily Telegraph: Opal is a nice little earner for operator →

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Beau

ALICIA WOOD, The Daily Telegraph, 20th May 2015

Millions of Opal card users are unwittingly contributing to a $10 million state government fund, with the money sitting in their automatic “top-up’’ accounts accruing interest for government coffers.
Opal card users who choose to automatically “top up” their cards are charged as soon as their balance reaches $10 — and with at least half of the state’s two million users choosing the “auto top-up” system — the government is holding on to more than $10 million, on which it earned $176,000 interest in the last financial year.
Opposition transport spokesman Ryan Park said there was no reason commuters should be barred from using all the funds on their card: “Not only is the government pocketing the funds, they are making interest off money that isn’t theirs, it is absolutely outrageous. Opal card users who have activated the ‘auto top up’ option are essentially being charged a hidden $10 fee for the privilege of catching their train, bus or ferry.”
A Transport for NSW spokesman said the $10 amount was chosen because it covers the maximum single adult train fare of $8.30 to the Central Coast, Illawarra and Blue Mountains.
The spokesman said any interest earned on the held funds would pay for the operation of the Opal card system.
“When a customer tops up their Opal card, whether by auto top up or other means, the funds are securely held by the Commonwealth Bank who are part of the consortium working with TfNSW to deliver Opal,” the spokesman said.
“Any interest earned on the funds is used to contribute to the costs of operating Opal.’

Transport for NSW: Central Station – new Transport Customer Service Centre →

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Beau

transportnsw.info, Monday 18th May central-refresh-2

An upgrade is currently underway to transform the current information kiosk in the Grand Concourse at Central Station into a more dynamic, efficient and customer accessible area – the Transport Customer Service Centre.
This new centre will offer:
Trip planning assistance and information across all transport modes (train, bus, ferry and light rail)
Opal card acquisition and top-ups
Assisted journey, event, travel and tourist information
A range of Transport merchandise
Additional improvements
Other improvements will be made to Central Grand Concourse, these include:
Installation of new Opal-only ticket gates
11 x 5 m customer information screen situated above the new Transport Customer Service Centre
Installation of new Information Hubs allowing Sydney Trains’ staff to provide visible, proactive advice to customers
New window glazing across the station
Bird proofing of platforms 1-16 and Grand Concourse
The planned completion and opening date of the new customer service centre is late June 2015.

Nine News Sydney: Opal Card users could be overcharged →

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Beau

Tonight’s Nine News Sydney had a segment on the number of Opal card users and their default fares.

Between August 2014 and October 2014, customers were ‘overcharged’ 1,205,556 times, with fares worth $6,228,928. By ‘overcharged’, they mean copped a default fare.

In October 2014, customers incurred 508,067 default fares.

From this, than 6% of default fares become enquiries for refunds.

According to the Transport Minister, more than 135 million trips have been taken with the Opal card, with the percentage of default fares across all modes being 1-2%.

Nine News Sydney reports that the default fare percentage on buses can be up to 5%.

And then you have people like this…. tapping on at the gate next to you.

Meanwhile, tonight’s story explains the post on the Transport for NSW Facebook page about what to do if you forget to tap off..

TfNSW/ePay denying new Opal card retailer applications →

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Beau

According to the Newsagents Association of NSW & ACT, ePay are now denying new applicants who wish to become Opal card retailers. There are currently just over 1,800 retailers, including every 7Eleven, a handful of Woolworths stores, and an assortment of newsagents and other outlets,

Newsagents across NSW who have recently submitted applications to become Opal Card Retailers via Epay Australia have been denied and/or placed on a waiting list.
Epay Australia have confirmed that they have reached their quota and will work with Transport NSW to assess applications on a case by case basis.

Will be interesting to see how this plays out, with the announcement of separate Opal vending machines this year (starting with top up only machines).

Hopefully this is only a minor break before continuing with bringing more retailers onboard, as 1800 sure seems like an arbitrary number…

The Leader: Sutherland station ticket window to close daily at 1.30pm →

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Beau

The ticket office at Sutherland railway station, one of the busiest on the Illawarra line, will close each day from 1.30pm from next Monday as effects of the Opal card introduction flow through the system.

Seems like Transport for NSW is finally taking staff from behind the ticket window in the office and putting them out on the concourse. Does this mean they’re simply now Customer Service Attendants (CSA)?

A Sydney Trains spokeswoman said more than 85 per cent of people travelling by train to or from the CBD used Opal cards instead of paper tickets. As a result, there was far less demand for paper tickets bought from ticket windows.
“Sydney Trains is ensuring staff are visible and accessible to customers by ensuring they spend more time on platforms and less time in offices,” she said. “Sutherland station is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Daily Telegraph: Jump-proof barriers: The gates are shutting on Sydney train fare cheats →

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Beau

The first set of the jump-proof London Underground-style barriers is now undergoing technical trials at Olympic Park station.
This exclusive photograph shows the E2 gate with its two chest-high paddles making it virtually impossible for a fare evader to leap over the barrier. They are also designed to stop fare dodgers “tailgating” other passengers through the gate.

SMH: Student Opal card privacy concerns limit university participation →

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Beau

PALLAVI SINGHAL, Sydney Morning Herald, 29th December 2014

Privacy concerns have stopped Sydney University from joining the rollout of student Opal concession cards, with new figures showing only five of 290 eligible tertiary institutions have signed on.
Institutions are required to “share eligibility information” with Transport for NSW before their students can begin using Opal card in February.
“The university is seeking to resolve the privacy considerations against the convenience of accessing the Opal card,” said a spokeswoman for the University of Sydney.
“It would need to provide student data. We are currently in discussion with the government [about this].”
She declined to comment on whether the university was likely to come on board by February.
“We’re actively working to resolve this as soon as possible,” she said.
The University of NSW, Notre Dame University, Macquarie University, Navitas English and the Australian Catholic University are the only institutions that have agreed to provide data to the Transport of NSW.
More than 250,000 students are expected to be eligible for concession travel in 2015, but will not be able to order an Opal card until their institution participates.
A spokeswoman for Transport for NSW said: “Tertiary institutions need to get their processes and IT systems ready to be able to share eligibility information.
“[The system] includes improved processing and assessment of a person’s entitlement to discounted fares.
“A very similar system has been introduced to support Gold Opal card customers who also need to prove eligibility at time of acquiring and carry their entitlement card along with their Gold Opal when they travel.”
Privacy has been a major issue for pensioners since the seniors Opal card became available in November, said Amelia Christie, Manager of Research and Advocacy at the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association of NSW.
“Privacy is a big one for people because they’re not able to travel anonymously like they are with the paper tickets,” Ms Christie said.
“Every time they travel, people can access their information without a warrant. They don’t want to be watched by their council and other people.”
There are widespread concerns, including from NSW Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Coombs, about the ability of law enforcement agencies to access user information held under the Opal system without a warrant, Fairfax Media has previously reported.
Unregistered Opal cards are currently only available for adults.
The Opal student concession comes more than two years after the card first became available for adults on trial ferry routes in December 2012.
Opal cards for free transport to and from school are yet to be made available.

AFR: Seventy two fines heap pressure on UberX →

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Beau

Rogue hire car driver Russell Howarth enacted eight citizens arrests against UberX drivers during the past week. Photo: Steven Siewert

Australian Financial Review, 29th November 2014

NSW transport officials are cracking down on illegal ride-sharing operation UberX after months of seeming inaction and regulatory confusion.

Seventy-two UberX drivers caught up in an undercover operation by NSW Roads and Maritime Services officials received fines of $2500 this week for offering hire care services illegally.

Continue reading →

The Age: Too much myki is barely enough →

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Beau

There are 10 myki cards in circulation for every weekday public transport user, with the massive over subscription blamed on a lack of short-term tickets.
There are 10 million myki cards in circulation, almost double Victoria’s population of 5.8 million.

It’ll be interesting to see if NSW manages to issue short term Opal cards – which already has a section in the Opal Terms of Use.

In the future, we will be issuing different types of limited life non-reloadable Opal Cards. They will be subject to special terms and conditions which will be published (including on the Opal Website) as and when they are issued. Customers who use these non-reloadable Opal Cards must inform themselves of and comply with their special terms and conditions. You cannot add value to non-reloadable Opal Cards.

Reddit: Opal and discontiguous train journeys →

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Beau

The idea is to increase the number of journeys on your Opal card as close to the max as possible in a short time. This can save a lot of money if you have a longer commute, want to use a lot of ferries, etc.
Take a train to Ersko or Mac’town, tap off as normal
Walk to the other station, tap on
Walk back, tap off
Repeat until you have enough journeys!
My return journeys took about 10 minutes each as you can see in my history, but this could be a lot faster with a bicycle.
Notes:
You can’t do this in the City, as transfers between city stations don’t count as a new journey
You can’t ride the train when tapped off, hence why you must walk between stations (which is a lot faster in this case anyway) . If you wanted to do something similar actually riding the trains, it would take two cards.
You have to stop once the daily cap of $15 is reached, which means you can only get 7 journeys this way in a single go.
The above stations are picked since they are close to each other and have Opal readers (without barriers) near the footpath.
It might be a good business opportunity for a student or bicycle courier – collect people’s Opal cards on Monday, rack up the journeys and return the cards for a small fee. You could tap on multiple cards at once I suppose. I’m not sure how many times you could do this before the station staff might notice and start asking questions 🙂

(via SilverStar9192 on Reddit)

SMH: Transport Minister backs commuters who beat the Opal man →

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Beau

The Transport Minister has backed commuters who manipulate their travel to get the best deal out of their Opal card, potentially saving them, and costing the government, hundreds of dollars a year.
Under the Opal fare structure, travel is free after the card-holder has made eight trips in a week.
This has created an incentive for people to take cheap – and potentially useless – trips early in the week to make significant savings later on.
“I want people to beat the system,” Gladys Berejiklian said. “I want people to find the savings because they are there to be had,” she said.

I thought this was already pretty obvious from the Fares & benefits page

By understanding Opal’s fare structure, and what it means for your journey, you can work out ways to save even more.

TfNSW: Opal bus rollout reaches halfway mark as more buses in Western Sydney go live →

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Beau

Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian today announced Opal will go live on another 720 buses in Western Sydney, North Sydney and Sutherland in the next week, as the rollout of Opal on buses passes the halfway mark.
Next Tuesday 26 August 330 buses across Western Sydney and the Sutherland Shire will go live with Opal, giving thousands more customers access to cheaper fares and more convenient travel. Opal will also expand onto all State Transit buses in North Sydney from today.
Ms Berejiklian said these latest milestones mean customers can now tap on and tap off all suburban and intercity trains, all Sydney Ferries, and from next week, 2,890 buses across Sydney.

The Opal Card User

Words from the guy with the 273rd Opal card

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