Opal Discussion and Observations

[jpp42]

US banks don't generally issue NFC cards (market penetration is in the single digits), so it's not something available to all tourists.

[Frosty]

US banks don't generally issue NFC cards (market penetration is in the single digits), so it's not something available to all tourists.

I know the US banks have been adopting other forms of NFC payments such as Apple Pay which is compatible with Opal.

Think concessions is simply an RPO issue.

You can't program a credit card to identify itself as a concession card, so you are left to a massive lookup table which undoubtedly would add to transactions times.

Or otherwise have to check the concession status of every contactless card manually, which would be unviable at peak hour at a rail station.

Everyone would just borrow 'grannies credit card'

I think a partial solution could be having concession Opal Cards loaded onto phones and smartwatches similar to bank cards or frequent flyer card programs are already.

[Nugget]

US banks don't generally issue NFC cards (market penetration is in the single digits), so it's not something available to all tourists.

Actually most US cards are issued with chip and pass it's just that the US terminals don't usually have that function turned on. Mainly because there are six different terminal providers and each one of them want to dominate the market. In 2012 you could preload your card onto the phone and use this at most terminals but once Apple and Google tried muscling in this function was turned off.

[loveT44]

Interesting review about it https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/ShowUserR ... Wales.html

[Merc1107]

Actually most US cards are issued with chip and pass it's just that the US terminals don't usually have that function turned on. Mainly because there are six different terminal providers and each one of them want to dominate the market.

Ahhh AMEX cards, the bane of our existence at the Supermarket I worked at... Using PayPass, nope, EFT Terminal wouldn't like that and would prompt "Insert Card." It didn't like the chip either and would take two attempts before finally advising the customer to "Swipe."

From that experience alone, along with individual cards having major personality issues with different EFT Terminals, I can see bankcard transactions as being something of a nuisance. Not that existing setups aren't without their personality traits. Either way, problems with people's cards and/or the readers can cause significant delays.

[moa999]

Amazing innovative idea by MasterCard.

https://twitter.com/7NewsSydney/status/ ... 68331?s=19

I think a 10% discount would work. Actually 20.. you know let's be generous and make it 30% off.

[boxythingy]

Amazing innovative idea by MasterCard.

https://twitter.com/7NewsSydney/status/ ... 68331?s=19

I think a 10% discount would work. Actually 20.. you know let's be generous and make it 30% off.

Here's hoping they will align smart cards with Opal card off-peak fare deductions and offer further discounts from time to time.

[matthewg]

Here's hoping they will align smart cards with Opal card off-peak fare deductions and offer further discounts from time to time.

You mean to implement the Opal fare table in 'contactless' just like London does? It's London's software we are using, so it can do it.

The take-up of 'contactless' in London is significant. They are well on the way to eliminating the Oyster card for adult 'pay as you go' fares. Specific Oyster cards now only needed for holding periodicals or concession entitlements.

[Swift]

Bottom line, will we finally see the end of cash payers on buses and the end to excuses why you didn't have enough credit in your Opal card?
Only the other day a guy got on and sat down next to me after I saw on the reader he was in a negative balance on his Opal. To top it off, he was in my way to lean over and reach the button when he had no right to be there!! (I was sitting in the wheelchair seats with no button within reach so had to stand up to get to the one at the other end of the seats when I would have been able to slide over without him there.)

[Mike M]

Here's hoping they will align smart cards with Opal card off-peak fare deductions and offer further discounts from time to time.

You mean to implement the Opal fare table in 'contactless' just like London does? It's London's software we are using, so it can do it.

The take-up of 'contactless' in London is significant. They are well on the way to eliminating the Oyster card for adult 'pay as you go' fares. Specific Oyster cards now only needed for holding periodicals or concession entitlements.

And also for overseas visitors such as myself who don't want to be ripped off by their banks foreign currency conversion charges, they can add up. But for domestic users, it's all good.

[matthewg]

The take-up of 'contactless' in London is significant. They are well on the way to eliminating the Oyster card for adult 'pay as you go' fares. Specific Oyster cards now only needed for holding periodicals or concession entitlements.

And also for overseas visitors such as myself who don't want to be ripped off by their banks foreign currency conversion charges, they can add up. But for domestic users, it's all good.

Or use a forex charge free card. I did. My wife is still using an Oyster card when we visit as her bank does change forex fees. We both paid the same fares.
And it depends on how your bank charges fees - you still need to get the funds to feed into the Oyster top-up machine, so you still get 'stung' with fees, it's just a matter of optimization

[toddbiggs2019]

Re: The top up machines.

Does anyone find that they stop working easily?
Also the card payment process seems to be quite slow on some machines, takes up to half a minute or even longer to authorize.

Only a couple of instances, but still seem prone to breaking down or encountering technical issues.

[moa999]

Never noticed any broken machines, although I use auto topup

[ScaniaGrenda]

Not sure whether to post this in the rail thread topic or here but seems Hamilton station has lost it's Card only top up machine in favour of just the single big machine that accepts both cash & card as payment. They had both machines beforehand but now it's just been reduced to the one machine.

[matthewg]

They had both machines beforehand but now it's just been reduced to the one machine.

Presumably, now that the station isn't the terminus, they have decided that two machines are overkill and downsized the installation to match the expected volumes of passengers using the station now that it's back to just being an ordinary stop along the line.

[Stonesourscotty]

Penriths Machine on the Red Cow side of the station is very slow for tap and go payment compared to other machines i use seems as slow as the ones translink use on the gold coast line.

[andy_centralcoast]

So, when does the election promise of the $50 weekly Opal cap come into effect (and how long will it last)?

My weekly commute won't have been this cheap since periodicals were axed!

[moa999]

So, when does the election promise of the $50 weekly Opal cap come into effect (and how long will it last)?

My weekly commute won't have been this cheap since periodicals were axed!

Probably alongside the normal fare increases which I'd expect to hit Mon 7 July.

With an expected Federal election in mid-May, I wonder whether Gladys will have the gumption to tackle some of the more interesting features of the last IPART report.

Key choices
- change LR/Bus transfers to same as Bus/Bus
- increase Pensioner fares which haven't moved in a long time (4yrs to next election - this would be the time)
- extend Sunday cheap fares to Saturday but at higher price to balance demand
- convert rail fare calculation to GPS rather than track distance

[Fleet Lists]

I dont expect anything revolutionary in this year's fare changes with probably more after the next IPart report is due.

[Campbelltown busboy]

My weekly commute won't have been this cheap since periodicals were axed!

Probably alongside the normal fare increases which I'd expect to hit Mon 7 July.

With an expected Federal election in mid-May, I wonder whether Gladys will have the gumption to tackle some of the more interesting features of the last IPART report.

Key choices
- change LR/Bus transfers to same as Bus/Bus
- increase Pensioner fares which haven't moved in a long time (4yrs to next election - this would be the time)
- extend Sunday cheap fares to Saturday but at higher price to balance demand
- convert rail fare calculation to GPS rather than track distance[/quote] The light rail/ bus transfer weekend cap and way that rail fares are calculated can work without any issue but there will be backlash if the gold opal fares go up old people will complain that they can’t afford $3•60 a day

[moa999]

Agree there would be backlash, but you've got to do it sometime and 4yrs to the next election would be the best time.

Maybe something like a $3.50 daily cap (up 40%) but with a weekly $18/20 cap so it's a much lower increase for the regulars.

I don't think it's moved in 10yrs (and if anything Opal has made it cheaper for short bus riders)

[andy_centralcoast]

So, when does the election promise of the $50 weekly Opal cap come into effect (and how long will it last)?

My weekly commute won't have been this cheap since periodicals were axed!

Probably alongside the normal fare increases which I'd expect to hit Mon 7 July.

With an expected Federal election in mid-May, I wonder whether Gladys will have the gumption to tackle some of the more interesting features of the last IPART report.

Key choices
- change LR/Bus transfers to same as Bus/Bus
- increase Pensioner fares which haven't moved in a long time (4yrs to next election - this would be the time)
- extend Sunday cheap fares to Saturday but at higher price to balance demand
- convert rail fare calculation to GPS rather than track distance

I found the official announcement which says the $50 Weekly Cap will start from 1 July 2019, and that the $2.50 Gold Opal and $2.70 Sunday caps will remain unchanged.

The policy costing document also says:
* Advice from Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is that the yearly average lost revenue from offering the reduction on the cap is $7 million per year.
* TfNSW has advised that there is a $600,000 cost to implement system changes.

https://nsw.liberal.org.au/candidates/g ... -TRANSPORT
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/pbo/D ... osting.pdf

[stupid_girl]

I found the official announcement which says the $50 Weekly Cap will start from 1 July 2019, and that the $2.50 Gold Opal and $2.70 Sunday caps will remain unchanged.

The policy costing document also says:
* Advice from Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is that the yearly average lost revenue from offering the reduction on the cap is $7 million per year.
* TfNSW has advised that there is a $600,000 cost to implement system changes.

https://nsw.liberal.org.au/candidates/g ... -TRANSPORT
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/pbo/D ... osting.pdf

The gap between bus+train fare and bus-only fare will be greatly reduced. I think this reduction will attract more people to take feeder buses to metro station from May.

[neilrex]

Quick calculation:

5000 commuters from Central Coast currently paying $60 cap. Is that a low-ball estimate ? It is 5 full trains.

Saving $10 a week, 50 weeks a year, that's $500 for each of those commuters, that is $2.5 million from the central coast, alone.

Add Wollongong, Blue Mountains, Richmond, Campbelltown to North Sydney, Manly ferries. People making any of those trips ten times a week using Opal will be getting $500 a year cheaper fares.

There'd be some people in the 45-65 km rail distance band, who also have a bus trip more than 2 km, they'd currently be on capped fares, as well.

I am extremely doubtfull about that $7 million estimate.

[moa999]

* TfNSW has advised that there is a $600,000 cost to implement system changes.

That is simply ridiculous