Opal Discussion and Observations

[matthewg]

Sydney is using 'offline authentication for Opal - I would have thought that would be 'transit mode'. A low-value transition that isn't online verified.
My bank stuffed up their Android pay for a while and my phone stopped being accepted for Opal. (The real card still worked). Eventually after some to-and-fro with Opal and my bank, the bank twigged and fixed it.
(Opal confirmed that the error code I was seeing was 'offline authentication rejected'.)

[flitter]

Transit mode is a reader configuration where the phones recognise a transit card reader and don’t require unlock or card selection (you set the transit card in the wallet app). This makes the transaction more like tapping opal than using a credit card in terms of speed and experience.

[Merc1107]

Wait till someone manages to spoof an Opal reader.

[verbatim9]

Sydney is using 'offline authentication for Opal - I would have thought that would be 'transit mode'. A low-value transition that isn't online verified.
My bank stuffed up their Android pay for a while and my phone stopped being accepted for Opal. (The real card still worked). Eventually after some to-and-fro with Opal and my bank, the bank twigged and fixed it.
(Opal confirmed that the error code I was seeing was 'offline authentication rejected'.)

Yes, that happened in Qld too a couple of months ago where Google Wallet with CommBank cards were not being accepted at the new fare gates. "It was returning invalid card".

**Must have been a software update by Cubic that caused the issue both in NSW and QLD.

[Swift]

Why do so many updates cause more inconvenience than anything else?
Our dependence on software well be the death of us.
Just ask James Cameron.

[jpp42]

Transit mode is a reader configuration where the phones recognise a transit card reader and don’t require unlock or card selection (you set the transit card in the wallet app). This makes the transaction more like tapping opal than using a credit card in terms of speed and experience.

This still isn't enabled for Opal, right? I have it selected on in my Apple Pay configuration for my default card but it's never actually worked as far as I know. I wonder what the delay is - this was first mooted years ago. I've also used it overseas where it worked a treat (WMATA's SmartTrip card in Washington DC, USA - which is a dedicated account rather than an MC/Visa, but can still be loaded into a smartphone wallet)

[TheOpalUser]

Guardian has an exclusive on express travel https://www.theguardian.com/australia-n ... ed-iphones

That process will soon be faster for iPhone users – and everyone waiting behind them – who will no longer need to unlock their device to tap on and off public transport in New South Wales.

Since all Opal readers were upgraded to allow taps-on with credit cards in 2019, passengers who have added payment cards into their digital wallet have also been able to tap on with their smartphone or smartwatch.

Smartphones treat this in the same way as any financial transaction, so users have had to unlock their device to authorise the tap.

However, under a new deal struck between the NSW government and Apple, passengers who use digital payment cards on their iPhones or Apple watches to tap on to public transport will no longer have to unlock their device with a passcode or biometric recognition.

[TheOpalUser]

I have it selected on in my Apple Pay configuration for my default card but it's never actually worked as far as I know. I wonder what the delay is - this was first mooted years ago. I've also used it overseas where it worked a treat (WMATA's SmartTrip card in Washington DC, USA - which is a dedicated account rather than an MC/Visa, but can still be loaded into a smartphone wallet)

It's been live up in Brisbane for some time, since their smarter ticketing rollout began.
Otherwise, it works in New York, London, etc with your usual payment (Amex, Mastercard, Visa) card.

For Hong Kong, Japan, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc, they've gone for virtual transit cards, rather than the Amex/Mastercard/Visa in your wallet.

[boxythingy]

As an Android user that prefers to import their own device of choice, I like how seamlessly I am able to unlock my phone with a physical biometric method and tap on the time same.

When will the readers be sensitive enough to be in sync with my devices? Who knows?

Why haven't iPhone cameras been designed such that they can scan their users' faces on/at an angle? Thought they were the great tech innovators of our times.

Here's hoping people are not losing their iphones and unable to log into an web interface on a desktop or laptop computer made available, to allow virtual card disabling and preventing anyone else from tapping on/off liberally, because it's only their fab phone app that does all that jazz and their front facing camera/face ID functionality is not smart enough

[pgt]

As an Android user that prefers to import their own device of choice, I like how seamlessly I am able to unlock my phone with a physical biometric method and tap on the time same.

When will the readers be sensitive enough to be in sync with my devices? Who knows?

While I have absolutely no idea what you're angling at there, yes the readers aren't exactly perfect at reading mobile device wallets and sometimes it does play up, though watching people not having their device/payment card ready until they get to the reader is just bad etiquette in my book.

For what it's worth, I'm an Android user and while I have tried both Google Pay and Samsung Pay (using its implementation of Transport Mode which doesn't require waking the phone), I keep going back to using the Opal card.

[matthewg]

There is mode on Android phones where low-value transactions do not require unlock - as a result I've pretty well NEVER unlocked my Pixel phone to tap on or off with Opal. (Or London Oyster too!)

The Google FAQ does say 'You can only do a limited number of locked transactions before your phone asks you to unlock'. It does not specify what that number is.

You can turn this off for 'added security' so the phone has to be unlocked to do any transaction of any value.

Apple's 'transit mode' appears to load data into the secure-element chip that can be accessed purely by NFC even when the phone is off - accessing the chip like any chip card.
I don't know if other brands have that particular trick. It's probably taken so long to get that active with Opal as Apple takes a cut of every transaction so TfNSW/Opal consortium has to bear the cost of each tap. That loss of revenue is paid for by all of us. The 'delay' probably was them negotiating terms and fees with Apple.

[flitter]

There is mode on Android phones where low-value transactions do not require unlock - as a result I've pretty well NEVER unlocked my Pixel phone to tap on or off with Opal. (Or London Oyster too!)

The Google FAQ does say 'You can only do a limited number of locked transactions before your phone asks you to unlock'. It does not specify what that number is.

You can turn this off for 'added security' so the phone has to be unlocked to do any transaction of any value.

Apple's 'transit mode' appears to load data into the secure-element chip that can be accessed purely by NFC even when the phone is off - accessing the chip like any chip card.
I don't know if other brands have that particular trick. It's probably taken so long to get that active with Opal as Apple takes a cut of every transaction so TfNSW/Opal consortium has to bear the cost of each tap. That loss of revenue is paid for by all of us. The 'delay' probably was them negotiating terms and fees with Apple.

Apple’s also requires specific code in each one of the readers to identify them as transit readers, and from the sound of the last government comments that hasn’t been rolled out 100% yet.

[Linto63]

Tomorrow was supposed to be the day that fares increases for the next financial year were to be announced. But with the Berejiklian ICAC report due to drop next Thursday, have been some suggestions this may be seen as a good day to bury bad news.

[boronia]

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/com ... 5dia5.html

Commuters get reprieve from Opal fare rises as changes considered

By Matt O'Sullivan
June 28, 2023 — 8.45am


The NSW government has delayed any increase in Opal fares until later this year as it considers changes to the ticketing system for the state’s public transport which has yet to fully recover from a pandemic-induced slump in patronage.

Opal fares are usually increased annually at the start of each financial year but a spokesman for Transport Minister Jo Haylen confirmed that there would not be a rise in ticket prices in July.
Opal fares increased by an average of 3 per cent in July last year.

Opal fares increased by an average of 3 per cent in July last year.Credit: Rhett Wyman

He said the government was considering a range of measures regarding Opal ticketing but did not elaborate. “The minister will be making a decision regarding Opal fares later during the year and will have more to say in due course,” he said.

“Changes to Opal fares have often occurred at the beginning of the new financial year. However, it is not required for them to occur in that particular timeframe.”

In July last year fares increased by an average of 3 per cent, while in 2021 they were pegged to the rate of inflation at the time, resulting in a 1.5 per cent rise.

A $50 weekly cap for adults, $25 for young people and concession holders, and a $2.50 daily cap for Gold Senior and Pensioner Opal cardholders remain in place.

The decision to delay any increase to Opal fares comes amid heightened concerns about the cost of living. The most recent quarterly figures show Australia’s annual inflation rate at 7 per cent, down from 7.8 per cent in the December quarter. Patronage for the state’s public transport is also still yet to recover from a slump during the worst of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

While Opal fares will remain unchanged for the time being, charges will rise for seven toll roads across Sydney on July 1, including the M2, the Lane Cove Tunnel, Eastern Distributor and M5 South West. The looming quarterly toll rises of up to 1.56 per cent will equate to increases of as much as 12¢ per trip for cars and motorbikes on those motorways.
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The government is also yet to award a contract for a planned $568 million upgrade of the Opal system, which will involve a replacement of electronic readers and back-office billing. Senior transport officials have warned that the system has been pushed to its limit and is now “very old technology”.

Transport technology company Cubic’s $1.07 billion contract to run the Opal ticketing system in greater Sydney over a 14-year period expires in September next year, tender documents show.

Opposition transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward, who supported the delay to fare increases, said the government needed to come clean on whether the upgrade to the system would continue. “The only people who lose out on not upgrading the Opal system are Sydney’s commuters,” she said.

However, a spokesperson for Transport for NSW said it was committed to the Opal upgrade, which would make it easier for passengers to plan, pay and get information about their journeys.

The agency began a “market sounding process” last December for the system upgrade and was reviewing industry responses. Once concluded, it would begin a formal tender process.

The Opal system was progressively rolled out over several years from 2012, ending paper tickets. It has 25,000 payment terminals and has clocked up more than 4.5 billion tap-ons by commuters since it was introduced.

[stupid_girl]

I hope it means the new government will be revisiting the fare structure.

[Fleet Lists]

Keep in mind that such a revisit is not always for the better.

[pgt]

Keep in mind that such a revisit is not always for the better.

True - could also end up being a case of "swings and roundabouts" where it's better for some but worse for others.

Hypothetically if the fare structure trialled under Opal Digital were implemented (fares by distance regardless of mode, with a surcharge for ferries), from memory most bus-only trips would actually go up even further [at least for the <10km fares], but eliminates the requirement for the transfer discounts to be implemented - I think it basically aligned bus fares more so with the distance bands used by the train fare system but added a couple of bands.
It probably does need further integration across modes to a degree, and that may well be how it pans out (though I'm against the subscription thing which was a feature of Opal Digital as that harks back to the days of TravelPass).

[boronia]

Don't mention the T-Card !!

[moa999]

Agreed - wasn't a fan of the subscription thing. The massive benefit of Opal or electronic ticketing was knowing you'd always pay the cheapest rate and didn't have to preselect.

I'm hopeful they look at the transfer rebate (particularly since buses and light rail got peak fares).

It's disgraceful that driving to a station carpark (that might have cost $100k/spot to build) can be $10+ a week cheaper than using a local bus to get to the station

[Jurassic_Joke]

I’m actually wondering if as part of reforms being considered if we’ll see the end of 8 then half price / return to periodical tickets. I recall the last Labor Government loved them, wasn’t that what MyMulti was all about?

[TheOpalUser]

Apple takes a cut of every transaction so [..] has to bear the cost of each tap. That loss of revenue is paid for by all of us. The 'delay' probably was them negotiating terms and fees with Apple.

For Apple Pay transactions, the merchant (nor customer) doesn't pay any extra or different fees - it's just another Amex, eftpos, Mastercard or Visa transaction.

It's the card issuer (Amex, ANZ, Bankwest, CommBank, NAB, Westpac) that pays.

Banks are frustrated about making payments to Apple, which prevents them from passing costs on to customers under its terms of service.

The claim stated whenever an Apple Pay transaction is completed using a US bank’s payment card, the bank (card issuer) must pay Apple a fee of 0.15 of a percentage point on credit card transactions, and a flat 0.5¢ on debit transactions.

https://www.afr.com/companies/financial ... 209-p5c527

[Campbelltown busboy]

Don't mention the T-Card !!

I was one of the thousands of SSTS school travel pass useers that were involved in the T card trial in 2004-2005

[Fleet Lists]

New article on front page of transportnsw.info – https://transportnsw.info/news/2023/emp ... e-changing

From 1 March 2023, Employee and Former employee Opal cards reported as lost, stolen, or damaged, will be replaced with a teal Opal card. This will operate in the same way as existing opal cards and will not mean a change in any Employee or Former employee entitlement.

https://transportnsw.info/news/2023/emp ... e-changing has been updated

Employee and Former Employee Opal Cards are changing
Wednesday 12 July 2023
Current or Former Employee Opal card holder?

A new teal Employee and Former Employee Opal card will replace current Employee and Former Employee Opal cards, as of 31 July 2023.

Employee and Former Employee Opal cards reported as lost, stolen, or damaged, will be replaced with a teal Opal card. This will operate in the same way as existing Opal cards and will not mean a change in any Employee or Former Employee entitlement.

Transport for NSW has been progressively rolling out new teal coloured Employee Opal cards to all eligible card holders. The majority of teal-coloured cards have been fulfilled and dispatched, with a small number of card orders still to come.

The expiry of blue Employee Opal cards has been extended to 31 July 2023 to allow employees an opportunity to collect their new teal Employee Opal cards.

While all blue Employee Opal cards are considered a valid ticket for travel until 31 July 2023, a system issue has around 1300 blue Employee Opal cards to display an ERROR 53 message when attempting to tap on or tap off.

Revenue protection, Transport operators and Authorised officers are aware of this known issue and have been advised to accept the blue Employee Opal card as a valid ticket for travel until 31 July 2023. Employees will also be advised that they can use their blue Employee Opal Card as a flash pass should an error appear prior to 31 July 2023.

From 31 July 2023, only teal Employee Opal card will be accepted as a valid ticket for employee travel, and flash passes will no longer be accepted.

Employees who are unaware of how to access their new teal Employee Opal card have been advised to submit an enquiry at Fares, Concessions and Tickets feedback.

[TheOpalUser]

Express Mode for Apple Pay now available on the Opal Network
https://transportnsw.info/news/2023/exp ... al-network

Friday 14 July 2023
Contactless payments are now easier and faster for public transport users in NSW with Express Mode for Apple Pay becoming available on the Opal Network for iPhone and Apple Watch.

Apple users who add their contactless credit card or debit card to their digital wallet can enable Express Mode to use when catching public transport.

The Express Mode upgrade to our Opal readers means you will no longer have to wake or unlock your device when tapping on. Just hold the top of your iPhone or display of your Apple Watch near the contactless reader to tap on at the start of your journey and to tap off at the end.

Even when your device needs to be charged, you may be able to use your Express Mode cards, passes and keys on your iPhone with power reserve. With compatible iPhone models, you may be able to use power reserve with some cards, passes and keys that have Express Mode turned on for up to 5 hours when your iPhone needs to be charged.

To enable Express Mode on your iPhone

Open your Wallet app and select the card you want to use
Tap the More button on the top right (displayed as three dots), then tap Card Details
Tap the Express Travel settings or Express Mode
Select the credit or debit card you want to use to pay for your travel
To enable Express Mode on your Apple Watch

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone
In the My Watch tab, select Wallet & Apple Pay
Tap Express Travel Card and select the credit or debit card you want to use to pay for your travel
Then authenticate on your Apple Watch with your passcode to complete
Express Mode for Transit is supported on iPhone and Apple Watch with Apple Pay, compatible with iOS 16.4 or later.

This technology rollout by Transport for NSW brings Apple users a similar feature to one Samsung phone users have been enjoying for some time. Samsung Pay Transit users can access this feature by opening the Samsung Wallet app and following the prompts.

For more information see Contactless payments.

Opal upgrade taps into smoother journeys for iPhone users
https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/o ... ay-upgrade

Tapping on and tapping off is now more seamless for public transport users in NSW as Express Mode for Apple Pay comes online.

The major upgrade to the Opal ticketing system allows users to tap on and off without needing to unlock their iPhone or Watch first.

Transport for NSW undertook a staggered roll out of Express Mode across the 25,000 card readers on the Opal network, starting with ferries and light rail, then train stations, and then the thousands of Opal readers on buses, which finished this week.

Express Mode for Apple pay is supported on iPhone and Apple Watch running iOS 16.4 or later. Users should add their card to Apple Pay, then set an Express Travel Pass card in settings.
For more information see Contactless paymentslaunch at transportnsw.info

NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen said:
“Commuters in the Hunter, Illawarra, Blue Mountains and everywhere in between will benefit from being the first public transport users in Australia to benefit from the mass roll out of this initiative.
“It will make life so much easier for the almost 2 million transport passengers who use contactless payments with a digital wallet in NSW.
“We’re embracing the future of travel, putting our state in line with global cities such as New York, London and Hong Kong. Think of your phone as your public transport passport.
“We know it can hold things up when you’re trying to quickly scan your face or finger to unlock your device at the reader. Now for Apple users it’s as simple as tapping your iPhone or Apple Watch without having to wake up or unlock your screen.”

Transport for NSW Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Kurt Brissett said:
“Everyone in greater Sydney and our major regional hubs will benefit from the new technology.
“Transport for NSW has now updated the software across the state’s 25,000 Opal readers across the metro, rail, bus, ferry and light rail networks to enable this innovative feature.
“Over 65% of contactless card taps we see on the Opal network are now made using a digital wallet, and Apple Pay represents the vast majority of these. This means the upgrade provides access to a seamless tap on and tap off experience for most of our passengers, joining Samsung users who have already been afforded with the capability.
“This really is amazing technology that will deliver a simple time saving solution with fewer hold ups and more peace of mind. Those with the latest Apple iPhone and software can even tap if their battery is flat.”

[boronia]

Critical upgrade of Sydney’s strained Opal system will take until 2026

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/cri ... 5e33b.html

The NSW transport agency wants to complete a complex $568 million upgrade of the state’s ageing Opal ticketing system by 2026 but has yet to put the project out to tender, more than a year after the plans were unveiled.

Dubbed Opal Next Gen, the modernisation of the public transport ticketing system was first announced in June last year by the previous state government, which provided conditional funding for the project over three years. It involves the replacement of thousands of electronic readers and back-office billing.
The existing Opal ticketing system is reaching the end of its working life.

The existing Opal ticketing system is reaching the end of its working life.Credit: Rhett Wyman

In pressing the case for the project, senior officials have told Transport Minister Jo Haylen that the existing system’s hardware is “reaching end of life” and needs to be replaced to “ensure ongoing” service for passengers as well as the collection of fare revenue.

“Any changes to the current system take a long time and are expensive to implement,” briefing documents to the minister in April say.

The internal documents, obtained by the Herald under freedom of information laws, say the existing system has a “long lead time” and a high cost for network-wide fare changes, while it has “limited ability to differentiate prices beyond simple peak [and] off-peak”.

It also has “no ability to provide financial redress at scale” for passengers when the public transport network suffers major disruptions to services.

Global transport technology company Cubic has had a $1 billion contract to run the Opal ticketing system for trains, light rail, buses and ferries in greater Sydney for the past 13 years. That deal expires in September next year, and Transport for NSW did not answer specific questions about whether Cubic’s contract would be extended while the planned upgrade was completed.

Coalition transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward said the Opal system was a critical state asset and delivering an upgrade of the magnitude planned would take years by the time detailed design, procurement and technology upgrades were completed.
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“It is not as simple as turning on and off a light switch. With the current supplier’s contract ending in 2024, it is concerning that a vital system appears not to be a priority of the new government,” she said.

A spokesperson for Haylen said the government was working to progress Opal Next Gen, but it was a shame that the Coalition had been unable to get its act together and go to tender on the vital project while it was in power.
The Opal ticketing system has been used for Sydney’s trains, buses, ferries and light rail for over a decade.

The Opal ticketing system has been used for Sydney’s trains, buses, ferries and light rail for over a decade.Credit: Wolter Peeters

“This is a complex project but so far, we are on track. Our aim is to deliver Opal Next Gen in 2026, but we want to get it right,” the spokesperson said.

Transport for NSW said it was preparing tender documents for the project ahead of an expected release to market late this year, which would call for a “broad range of tailored solutions, including hardware, software and systems integration”.

“Currently, we are targeting 2026 to complete the transition to Opal Next Gen,” the agency said.

The agency spruiked the Opal Next Gen project as delivering one of the world’s “most sophisticated ticketing solutions”, providing passengers “seamless and convenient ticketing” that enabled fast, connected and multi-modal trips on public transport.

A spokesperson said it had undertaken a market-sounding process in December to help shape the Opal Next Gen procurement strategy and that it had since undertaken a “request for information” from the industry, which closed last month, to help shape the looming tender.

The Opal system is modelled on London’s Oyster ticketing network. It was progressively rolled out in NSW over several years from 2012, ending paper tickets. It has 25,000 payment terminals and has clocked up well over 4.5 billion tap-ons by commuters.