Opal Fares from 3rd July 2017

[Frosty]

I was thinking before Opal with the mybus section fares there would be many occasions where you would end up entering the 3rd band 6 section + which equivalent to 8km + with Opal due to the fact many routes never went in a straight line. Good example is the 400 between Eastgardens to BJ it use to 6 sections or 3rd band but with Opal it falls under the 3-8km 2nd band of fares.

The only areas that might have longer 8km plus journeys that can't be really be split apart from the Northern Beaches & Hills M2 is some Anzac Pde services & Eastern Valley Way services.

[simonl]

The only areas that might have longer 8km plus journeys that can't be really be split apart from the Northern Beaches & Hills M2 is some Anzac Pde services & Eastern Valley Way services.

Victoria Rd too.

There's quite a few.

With only 20% of TfNSW's costs recovered through the farebox, the taxpayer will always be subsidising public transport regardless how much the fare structure is tweaked.

Didn't it used to be around 30%? The inefficiency of CityRail and ferries (with the best routes cherry picked off by private ferries) drive down this ratio.

[Frosty]

Well it's obvious think about ferries blowing a whole in the fare revenue the Manly Ferry the Fast Ferry is cheaper and faster and more frequent when using their smart card. We could move to something like London where they have a zone based system could charge more for travel in the CBD area a standard trip from North Sydney to Central would cost $4.50 while St Marys to Penrith would be $3.38

Also introduce peak hour bus fares to encourage more off-peak travel and manage demand. I must wonder how is the Light Rail costs vs fare revenue ?

[Fleet Lists]

Posted on Transport Info today
https://transportnsw.info/news/2017/cha ... rom-3-july

Changes to Opal from 3 July
Sunday 25 June

As of 3 July, Opal fares will change, the minimum online top up amount will lower and wait times for balance adjustments will reduce.
What’s new

From 3 July, you can top up your Adult Opal card for as little as $10 via the Opal Travel app or online for your Adult Opal card. The minimum top up amounts available online will be reduced:

from $40 to $10 for Adult Opal cards
from $20 to $5 for Child/Youth and Concession cards
from $10 to $5 for Gold Opal cards.

This also applies to the auto top up value, so you can set your Adult Opal account to add $10 automatically when the balance gets too low.

You can also access your new balance as little as 15 minutes for trains, ferries and light rail. Allow up to 60 mins for buses.
What changes

Opal fares will increase 2.4 per cent, in line with consumer price index (CPI).

The estimated impact on an average commuter’s trip is an extra 50 cents a week.

The fare adjustments will also impact daily and weekly caps.

To plan your trip and calculate your approximate Opal fare, you can use the Trip Planner.

Find out more about Opal fares.
What Opal benefits stay the same?

$2 discount for Adult Opal card holders for every transfer between modes (train, ferry, bus or light rail) as part of one trip ($1 for Child/ Youth and Concession card holders).
$2.50 unlimited all day travel within the Opal network for Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card holders.
Half price travel after eight paid trips in a week
Off-peak train fare savings of 30 per cent
Fares capped daily, weekly and on Sundays
The option of auto top-up, so you're always ready to travel

Find out more about Opal benefits.

[moa999]

Also introduce peak hour bus fares to encourage more off-peak travel and manage demand.

Doesn't make a massive difference. Buses are mostly variable cost (driver salary and fuel). In the context of a 20-yr life, cost of extra peak hour buses is pretty low (ex land for storage).

Whereas for trains the infrastructure for peak hour is very expensive

[simonl]

Also introduce peak hour bus fares to encourage more off-peak travel and manage demand. I must wonder how is the Light Rail costs vs fare revenue ?

Not worth bothering. Off peak buses are less loaded and not that much faster than peak buses so are unlikely to be less subsidised. Also, the price sensitivity is unlikely to be that high.

[Fleet Lists]

The above article from Transport Info has since been expanded to include links to various new Opal pages including one with both old and new Opal fares.
The Opal website on the other hand contains the following article but the Opal fares on the website still only show the old ones. Possibly this page will disappear from 3rd July with the fare information then only available on the Transport Info website.
https://www.opal.com.au/en/news/opalnew ... e2017.html which reads the same as the article above.