Under a $567.9 million transportation ticketing update, digital Opal cards will become a permanent part of NSW’s public transportation network, and an all-in-one transport subscription will be trialled.
On Friday, Treasurer Matt Kean announced the renovations alongside Ministers of Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transportation Rob Stokes and Transport and Veterans David Elliot, with funds coming later this month in the 2022-23 budget.
“Opal has revolutionised the way we travel since 2012, and it is now time to invest in keeping this system in line with our increasing requirements and expectations,” Kean added.
This gives us a glimpse into the future, allowing us to set up the Opal network to meet our evolving demands, whether it’s a rail, bus, e-bike, e-scooter, rideshare, or even charging for electric vehicles.”
Commuters will be able to add a virtual Opal card to their digital wallets as part of the ‘Opal Next Gen’ upgrade, which Kean claims will ensure NSW maintains a modern, reliable, and world-leading public transportation ticketing system.
Despite the pandemic-induced shutdown between June and October last year, 10,000 people were successfully trialled with digital opal cards in 2021, with more than 300,000 travels taken utilising the virtual cards.
TfNSW is planning a tender in the next two months, according to the NSW government. It’s unclear whether the procurement would be restricted to the upgrades or will cover the entire Opal card network.
Under a $1.07 billion deal signed in 2010, Cubic Transportation Systems presently manages NSW’s Opal Card ticketing network. The deal will run out in September 2024.
TfNSW completed the introduction of contactless payments technology across the Opal card network three years ago, allowing commuters to tap on and off using contactless debit and credit cards, as well as connected smart devices.
