Opal - E-ticketing - fares discussion etc.

[ozbob]

From ZDNet click here!

NSW to add trams to e-ticketing system

NSW to add trams to e-ticketing system
By Luke Hopewell, ZDNet.com.au on August 17th, 2011 (15 hours ago)

The New South Wales Government is set to expand its $1.2 billion integrated e-ticketing project currently being rolled out by Cubic Transportation Systems to Sydney's light rail network, the transport minister revealed today.

Speaking at a CEDA event in Sydney today, NSW Transportation Minister Gladys Berejiklian said that the government began considering the integration of light rail into the e-ticketing system after the inclusion of light rail in the city's new fare zone structure, which caused a spike in ticket sales.

"We integrated, very early on, light rail into the MyZone ticketing structure. Since 27 June, anyone with a current MyMulti transport ticket or pensioner excursion or family ticket, now for the first time, are able to use those tickets on ... light rail services and that has been very popular.

"In the first four weeks ... there were a total of over 106,000 tickets sold and 42 per cent of those were [bought] as a result of the changes," Berejiklian said.

Berejiklian said that while the government's integrated e-ticketing project was still over a year away from delivery, train passengers would see the first infrastructure being rolled out in railway stations shortly.

"The introduction of the electronic ticketing system is a huge job, but you will start to see the system being rolled out from late next year when we begin to test it on ferries, followed by the rail network and then onto buses," she said.

"In fact, quite soon you're going to see some progress in railway stations when we will begin to put in the wiring and power supply to the poles that the [tag points] will be on across railway stations in NSW."

Sydney will be one of the last cities in the country with an integrated e-ticketing system by the time it rolls out to Sydney Ferries in 2012. Other cities like Launceston, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth already have well-advanced e-ticketing initiatives in place.

A survey of 8000 Australian commuters recently revealed that smart, integrated ticketing systems are now considered a must for public transport services.

The previous Labor Government promised an integrated ticking system in time for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, which morphed into the Tcard initiative, which collapsed after the then-transport minister, John Watkins, cancelled the contract with the company responsible after it allegedly failed to deliver on key project goals.

The failed Tcard project has become the centre of a legal imbroglio, which is yet to go before the courts.

[somebody]

Sydney.

The land of fare mediocrity.

Just goes to show how punished Sydney's PT has been by its fares. All this change means is that you can use a MyMulti (exorbitant price for dailies) ticket on trams.

[ozbob]

From ABC News click here!

New name's the ticket for Sydney transport

New name's the ticket for Sydney transport

Updated September 13, 2011 11:12:06

The New South Wales Government has chosen a name for what it hopes will be a precious gem for public transport users, the Opal smart ticket.

Hong Kong has the Octopus card and London the Oyster, but their integrated ticket systems were introduced in 1997 and 2003 respectively

Sydney was first promised to have a smart ticket ready in time for the 2000 Olympics, but Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian says the Opal should be in use by the end of 2012.

The ticket will be used in Sydney and the Illawarra, Hunter and Blue Mountains regions.

In 2007 the former Labor government terminated a contract to provide a ticket system, then called the Tcard, because of delays.

Ms Berejiklian says Opal was chosen from a list of 665 suggested names.

She laughed off some of the other names on the list, including Twango, Cheese & Kisses, Cheater, Dodge, Sly and Spy.

"This name, it was chosen because it's simple, it's uniquely Australian and people will find it easy to use," Ms Berejiklian said.

"There were a number of sources which produced the long list of names.

"Through focus groups, the department did its own research, through suggestions from surveys that were conducted.

"There was a very long and exhaustive list and the Government has decided the Opal is a great name for our transport card.

"It's Australian, it's the gemstone of our state and it's a simple name which people can relate to."

[O_128]

who wants to bet that NSW gets it right the first time with PAYG, Weeklys, Monthlys, Caps etc 

[somebody]

who wants to bet that NSW gets it right the first time with PAYG, Weeklys, Monthlys, Caps etc 

I think they will likely get it wrong, unlike QLD and WA which have gone for simple and equitable fare structures.  Except for the too high flag fall in QLD.

I'm still not convinced integrated fares is a promise of this new system. 

[O_128]

who wants to bet that NSW gets it right the first time with PAYG, Weeklys, Monthlys, Caps etc 

I think they will likely get it wrong, unlike QLD and WA which have gone for simple and equitable fare structures.  Except for the too high flag fall in QLD.

I'm still not convinced integrated fares is a promise of this new system. 

Yes but integrated ticketing will be a huge benefit.

[ozbob]

From News.com.au click here!

Sydney's transport card to cost $1 billion

Sydney's transport card to cost $1 billion

SYDNEY'S version of a universal public transport card will cost the state more than $1 billion, New South Wales Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian says.

The new electronic ticket will be called Opal, a name chosen from a shortlist that included Electro Blue, No Shoes, Cheese And Kisses, and Edna.

"We think Opal is a great name - it's Australian, it's easy to remember, it's short; people relate to it," Ms Berejiklian told ABC radio today.

"The black opal is the state gem of NSW."

The card will first be introduced on Sydney Ferries by December next year, she said.

"This is a complex system and once we roll it out on ferries, the following year it will be trains, the following year after that it will be buses," Ms Berejiklian said.

"This isn't something you can bring in quickly. Most good systems around the world take about three years, including testing because it's very complex."

She said the system had been bought from and would be operated by the people behind London's Oyster card, and would cost just over $1 billion.

"It's an expensive system, there's no doubt about that," she said.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/sydneys-transport-card-to-cost-1-billion/story-e6frfku0-1226135400702

[SurfRail]

Even ours was only around $130m wasn't it?

[somebody]

Even ours was only around $130m wasn't it?

Wiki reckons $134m.  But what's with "Even"?  That's a very good price for the system.

I find it impossible to escape the inference that Qld and WA who have gone for uncomplicated fare structures have had relatively easy changeovers to smart cards, and NSW and Vic who have not wanted to do so have had a lot of trouble!

[colinw]

I am expecting an over complicated SNAFU from NSW, but hold out some hope of being pleasantly surprised.

Given that Sydney is also going to be a Cubic system, it would be nice if inter-operation (same as for toll tags) could be considered.  I would love to be able to just use my Go Card in Sydney.

[SurfRail]

Wiki reckons $134m.  But what's with "Even"?  That's a very good price for the system.

I agree - just that we are almost heading down the Sydney track of bad procurement (but not quite there, as partially evidenced by this).

[ozbob]

The original contract with Cubic was $134 million in 2003, 8 years ago. (ref http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=135.msg339#msg339 ) There have been a number of revisions since then and the cost is a bit more than the 2003 figure.

I think Sydney, like Melbourne, is being done over IMHO in terms of cost.  Guess you get a black opal every time you touch on ... LOL

[somebody]

I don't think NSW & Vic are being done over at all.  If you do stupid things, it costs more.

I am expecting an over complicated SNAFU from NSW, but hold out some hope of being pleasantly surprised.

Given that Sydney is also going to be a Cubic system, it would be nice if inter-operation (same as for toll tags) could be considered.  I would love to be able to just use my Go Card in Sydney.

I would echo this.  It seems like Gladys may have some idea in spite of sounding like a nut job in the lead up to the election.  Or at least I haven't seen enough to rule it out.

[ozbob]

David Caldwell --> SYDNEY'S OPAL CARD TO LACK LUSTRE?

[techblitz]

http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/15467848/new-sydney-transport-ticketing-announced/

Sydneysiders will be able to use the one card to pay for tickets on ferries, trains and buses by 2015, the NSW government says.

NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said on Sunday the Opal card will be available on all Sydney ferries and some trains in 2013, with buses and light rail to come on line by 2015.

She says the first commuters to have access to the card will be patrons on the Neutral Bay ferry route in a trial of the system from December 7.

"This is something that will change the way we use public transport," Ms Berejiklian told reporters.

"It will be an easy system where commuters simply have to top on and tap off, and it will be like having an e-TAG in your pocket."

She said fares would remain the same during the Neutral Bay trial, while further announcements on charges would be made during the system's roll-out.

The Opal card itself will be free, with public transport users putting money on it in a similar way to the e-TAG for cars.

Ms Berejiklian said a big benefit of the Opal card will be that after eight journeys using it in a given week, all further trips will be free.

She also said there would be a daily travel cap of $15.00 from Monday to Saturday for Opal card customers, with a cap on Sundays of $2.50.

She expected there would be a "few glitches" during the roll-out and said that's why the single card system was being implemented progressively.

"It's a very complex task," she said.
"It will take the next three or four years to finalise."

8 then free

[ozbob]

Daily cap,  flat fare on weekends Sundays, free after 8 journeys ...  must be public transport paradise .... lol

Do the free journeys after the daily cap is reached count for the free cap??

[ozbob]

Seriously though, I doubt if this is their final fare structure as such, just carrots to get a few users for the first trial ...

But Opal is a go card in effect, they can do capping and flat down there ...

And looks like they have 'purchased' the complete suite of options ...

[ozbob]

==> http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/opal

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/alastair_walton/status/272507107285299201/photo/1

Minister Berejiklian launches Opal Card and customer trial for Sydney ferries @ Neutral Bay ferry wharf

[somebody]

Seriously though, I doubt if this is their final fare structure as such, just carrots to get a few users for the first trial ...

But Opal is a go card in effect, they can do capping and flat down there ...

And looks like they have 'purchased' the complete suite of options ...

Hard to imagine rules like 8 then free being retracted later once they are introduced.

[ozbob]

If you think about the variation we had during the roll out with go card anything is possible.

Interesting to have the daily cap and the free after x journeys too ....  might push them here .. lol

Leakage is controlled to a degree though with the cap, as it would be very unlikely that free journeys after the cap actually count to the 8 journey cap.  It might be a sensible thing to do here if they don't want to budge from the free after nine, but I am not sure if the go card can do it.

On the go card a daily cap = highest journey x 2 stops the leakage to a large degree

The flat fare on Sunday is a nice touch ... 

Opals for all!

[somebody]

If you think about the variation we had during the roll out with go card anything is possible.

Besides the fare increases, these changes all went the opposite direction:
- Senior's 2 then free per day
- Off peak discounts
- 10 then free
- 9 then free

I'm not missing anything am I?

[ozbob]

Early there was a 6 journey cap, then 50% fares.

http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=135.msg955#msg955

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

New Sydney transport ticketing announced

New Sydney transport ticketing announced

    From: AAP
    November 25, 2012 1:05PM

SYDNEYSIDERS will be able to use the one card to pay for tickets on ferries, trains and buses by 2015, the NSW government says.

NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said on Sunday the Opal card will be available on all Sydney ferries and some trains in 2013, with buses and light rail to come on line by 2015.

She says the first commuters to have access to the card will be patrons on the Neutral Bay ferry route in a trial of the system from December 7.

"This is something that will change the way we use public transport," Ms Berejiklian told reporters.

"It will be an easy system where commuters simply have to top on and tap off, and it will be like having an e-TAG in your pocket."

She said fares would remain the same during the Neutral Bay trial, while further announcements on charges would be made during the system's roll-out.

The Opal card itself will be free, with public transport users putting money on it in a similar way to the e-TAG for cars.

Ms Berejiklian said a big benefit of the Opal card will be that after eight journeys using it in a given week, all further trips will be free.

She also said there would be a daily travel cap of $15.00 from Monday to Saturday for Opal card customers, with a cap on Sundays of $2.50.

She expected there would be a "few glitches" during the roll-out and said that's why the single card system was being implemented progressively.

"It's a very complex task," she said.

"It will take the next three or four years to finalise."

[somebody]

Early there was a 6 journey cap, then 50% fares.

http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=135.msg955#msg955

Hmm, didn't know about that one.  Did it ever see the light of day?

[ozbob]

Yes, was in use for a year or two from memory.  Then it got changed to 50% after 10 journeys if I recall correctly.

[ozbob]

Yes, was in use for a year or two from memory.  Then it got changed to 50% after 10 journeys if I recall correctly.

It was around August 2008 that the 50% after 10 journeys was implemented when paper tickets increased and go card was then 20% cheaper, smoke and mirrors really.  The 50% after six journeys was around for a year or so.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Test of city's ticket to ride will decide if Opal is Coalition's trump card

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

The interface looks modern ... almost 'myki-esque' ...

[somebody]

Yes, was in use for a year or two from memory.  Then it got changed to 50% after 10 journeys if I recall correctly.

It was around August 2008 that the 50% after 10 journeys was implemented when paper tickets increased and go card was then 20% cheaper, smoke and mirrors really.  The 50% after six journeys was around for a year or so.

Ok, so no one was worse off from that change.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> '10 years too late': experts split on move to smartcard ticket system

[ozbob]

From the Sydney Morning Herald click here!

Commuters wait for clarity on integrated Opal card

Commuters wait for clarity on integrated Opal card
December 1, 2012 Jacob Saulwick

IT HAS been a long time coming, but Sydney public transport users got a first look at the city's ''Opal'' card this week.

But what Sydney residents do not know yet is what sort of fares they will pay once the card - with its understated gun-metal sheen and credit-card weight - starts working on buses, ferries and trains some time in 2014.

Sydney is the only major city in Australia that does not have an ''integrated'' fare structure.

This means that apart from people holding expensive MyMulti weekly, monthly or yearly passes, anyone getting on a bus, train or ferry has to pay extra every time they board a new service.

In other Australian cities, public transport passengers making the one journey are allowed to change between services without paying extra.

''People in Sydney ought to be embarrassed that everybody in Australia sorted this out between 40 and eight years ago,'' said Paul Mees, senior lecturer in transport planning at RMIT University in Melbourne.

As Fairfax Media's 2010 Transport Inquiry argued, the Opal, which will start trials on the Neutral Bay ferry route on Friday, is not actually necessary for a new fare structure for Sydney.

In Newcastle, State Transit bus passengers buy one-hour tickets, four-hour tickets, and all-day tickets. They can hop on and off as many buses as they like while those tickets are valid. State Transit bus passengers in Sydney, meanwhile, have to pay multiple fares for multiple trips.

But the introduction of the Opal is widely seen as an opportunity to rid the city of some of the perverse elements in Sydney's fare system.

And removing the penalties attached to changing services is regularly cited as the most important step.

''The old concept of going into and out of the CBD twice a day is decreasingly relevant for the modern traveller,'' said a transport engineer and blogger, David Caldwell.

More people are travelling to a wider array of destinations. This inevitably requires changing between multiple buses and trains, Mr Caldwell said.

''Getting rid of the penalty is important for that reason. But it is also important to enable people to utilise their journey more efficiently in the way that a car driver does,'' he said.

Sydney's fare system can also prevent commuters choosing the fastest way to get to their destination.

The fastest way to get from Bronte Beach to Central on public transport, for example, is to catch the 378 bus to Bondi Junction and change to a train. But this costs $2.30 more than staying on the 378 bus all the way to the city, which takes five minutes longer.

In other cities, ''zones'' determine how much public transport users pay.

There are two zones that cut across Melbourne, and commuters can use as many services as they want within those zones, but pay more for moving from one to another.

Dr Mees said two zones was too few.

There was a steep jump in ticket price for moving between the two, and some commuters drove to train stations inside Zone 1 to avoid the increase.

''The great advantage Sydney has in having delayed for so long is that there's lots and lots of experience to learn from,'' Dr Mees said.

In a 2008 article in Transit Australia, Mr Caldwell suggested 15 zones for greater Sydney. The advantage of this system would be a smaller jump in fares as commuters moved from one zone to another.

As for the government's approach, it remains unclear.

A spokesman for Action for Public Transport, Jim Donovan, said he had been told by a senior public transport bureaucrat that a proposal to integrate fares in Sydney had been put to the cabinet but not yet signed. The Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian, said Opal fares would be ''distance-based''.

This means commuters will pay according to how far they travel, but it is unclear if that distance will be measured by how the crow flies or by how many zones are passed.

It is also unclear if there will be different rates for catching buses, trains, trams and ferries, and if all interchange penalties will be abolished.

''We will release the fare structure in more detail next year,'' Ms Berejiklian said.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/commuters-wait-for-clarity-on-integrated-opal-card-20121130-2amcb.html#ixzz2DpUIYrwf

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> NSW ferry users trial new ticket system

[somebody]

Enthusiasm but few takers on Opal launch day

Date
    December 7, 2012 - 12:28PM

Jonathan Swan

First day of trial of the Opal card, on the Neutral Bay to Circular Quay ferry service. NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian catches the Neutral Bay ferry. Photo: Peter Rae Friday 7 December 2012.

Card carrying member ... Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian on the Neutral Bay ferry. Photo: Peter Rae

"Good morning!" gushed the man in the Opal-branded polo shirt and cap as another passenger hurried past, avoiding eye contact. "Don't forget to tap on and off with the Opal card," he said to nobody in particular.

The ferry-riders at Neutral Bay wharf seemed unaware they were heralding a new era of transport history – Sydney's long-awaited "electronic ticketing system" that will work across ferries, buses and trains.

The Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian, says more than 200 people have signed up with Opal cards but almost none of those registered arrived for the first day of the trial.
First day of trial of the Opal card, on the Neutral Bay to Circular Quay ferry service. Photo: Peter Rae Friday 7 December 2012.

On tap ... the Opal card, which went into service on Friday. Photo: Peter Rae

By 7.30am desperation tinged the Opal man's voice. "I'm excited!" he said as another iPod-wearing passenger grunted past.
Advertisement

At 7.58am he could smile finally. An investment banker named Simon Kidston strode purposefully to the silver terminal and tapped his card on the screen. It worked.

Mr Kidston was the first and only non-government passenger we saw using an Opal card on the first morning of the trial. He knows the technology well. He has worked in London where "smartcards" have long been used for all forms of public transport.

"It was long overdue," Mr Kidston said.

Ms Berejiklian and her staff caught the same ferry as Mr Kidston. The minister gave a quick press conference at Circular Quay.

"Today is a really important day for public transport," she said, brandishing her Opal. "Passengers who used it were really pleased with it."

Her staff nodded enthusiastically. "I'm thrilled about how it's gone this morning and I'm hoping that more people will sign on."

The Opal card is being trialled on the Neutral Bay ferry circuit, and the government says it will be available for all Sydney Ferries' customers by the end of next year. Trains will join the trial from the middle of next year and buses in 2014. Light rail will join some time in 2015. The new system will cost $1.2 billion, which includes installation plus about 15 years of operating costs, Ms Berejiklian said.

Passengers can order Opal cards for free and either load them with money or use them as an automatic debit card, like an e-tag. Trips on the Opal card will cost the same as they do on current tickets, Ms Berejiklian said.

But she will wait until next year to confirm the new fee structure and what incentives or penalties she will use to encourage people to sign up for Opal cards.

The "roll out", Ms Berejiklian reminded us, would be long and complicated, and could not be accomplished by her Labor predecessors.

Embarrassingly for Labor, NSW taxpayers continue to suffer from the previous government's aborted "T-Card" ticketing system. The state is still paying more than $300,000 a month in interest on debts of more than $100 million for a card that never existed.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/enthusiasm-but-few-takers-on-opal-launch-day-20121207-2azgi.html#ixzz2EKGwoSGz

Pretty funny.

It isn't very attractive to use it.  10/week users are still better off with a MyMulti 1 and others have no saving over a TravelTen except on Sunday.

[ozbob]

Queue the yarns "Opal is a dud  ... "  "Expensive smart card system all at sea ... "  "Opal lacks lustre .."

I guess they don't want to be overwhelmed with users at this 'critical moment' ...

They appear to not know what they are going to do yet in terms of the fare pricing (well at least publicly) ...  as you point out, not much incentive to get the punters to move ..

[somebody]

They appear to not know what they are going to do yet in terms of the fare pricing (well at least publicly)

Which is mind blowing.

[SurfRail]

They appear to not know what they are going to do yet in terms of the fare pricing (well at least publicly)

Which is mind blowing.

Yeah, which state are we talking about again?

[boxe]

Youtube playlist of videos of Opal in Action:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHecLb9SV7E-mCRFqQ8puTAesJJxrhgM1&feature=view_all

Opal Infrastructure prior to official trial date commencement:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHecLb9SV7E9_UaTQy1uWzdpCAPvdlpts&feature=view_all

[somebody]

Welcome boxe,

Mod hat on:
I haven't clicked your links, but to establish some guidelines as applies on many other forums:
successful touch on: not interesting
packaging: not interesting
touch on error: interesting
touch on anomaly e.g. "Transfer": interesting, once.
Media report on Youtube: interesting

Probably enough examples for now.

At least you've included a playlist rather than numerous embedded videos.