Public transport will now be cheaper on Fridays as he average price of an Opal ticket will go up by 3.7% the following month, which means that passengers in New South Wales will see a drop in the amount that they have to pay for weekend travel on Fridays, but they should still plan on spending more money on public transportation overall as a result of this change.
The government of Minnesota has declared that the rise in costs associated with the once-yearly adjustment to the pricing of the state’s contactless fare collection system will be less than the rate of inflation, and they have also added the incentive of cheaper travel on Fridays as a sweetener. This announcement was made in preparation for the once-yearly adjustment to the pricing associated with the system.
Because the data from Opal suggests that 90 percent of customers are not traveling enough to earn the discount, the government has decided to do away with an incentive that offers half-price fares when eight journeys in a week are completed using the Opal card. At the same time, the government will stop providing an incentive that provides half-price rates once a certain number of trips have been taken in a given week.
The Minister of Transport, Jo Haylen, indicated that because fewer people work five days a week, cheaper pricing on Fridays will help a “much larger” number of commuters. This is because fewer people go to work on Fridays. This is due to the fact that there are fewer people commuting to work during the weekdays.
Opal users will be entitled for a fare discount of 30% on Fridays beginning on the 16th of October. This discount will apply to all Metro, train, bus, and light rail services. This means that the maximum ticket for an adult will be regulated at $8.90 for travel throughout the entire day, while the maximum fare for a child, youth, or concession will be $4.45. Only on Fridays will the discount be applied to the purchase.
After conducting its annual review, the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal came to the conclusion that opal prices should go up by an average of 3.7%. The government estimates that this will result in an increase in costs of less than one dollar per week.
The current rate of $5.42 will be increased to $5.72 for passengers traveling from Parramatta to Central in Sydney during peak hours. This represents an increase of $0.72 from the previous fare. The price of a ticket to travel to the Central Business District from Penrith or Cronulla is now $7.65, which is an increase from the previous price of $7.24.
The fare from Chatswood to North Sydney will now cost $4, an increase from the previous price of $3.79. This fare is only applicable during peak hours.
There will be no increase to the maximum amount of money that can be spent on weekly travel; it will continue to be fixed at $50 for adults and $25 for concession card members as well as children. The daily cap of $2.50 that applies to older persons and retirees will not be raised or lowered in the future.
Natalie Ward, who is the transport spokesman for the opposition, stated her fears that essential workers who were unable to work from home would be badly impacted by the termination of half-price travels after eight voyages. She said that this would be the case because crucial workers were unable to work from home.
She said that “Weekend fares on Fridays are a good idea,” but that “the government needs to come clean on the impact of canceling half-priced fares for heavy commuters.” She also said that “Weekend fares on Fridays are a good idea.”
The “station access fee” that is established by the Airport Link Company for the use of the domestic and international airport train stations will also increase. This fee will go up by $0.94 for adults and by $0.84 for those traveling on child, youth, concession, or senior fares. Both of these increases will take effect on January 1, 2019. On the first of July in 2018, this price hike is going to go into effect.
