Sydneysiders need to brace for yet another cost of living blow as Opal fares are set to increase on Monday. Yikes.
Public transport fares are subject to an annual increase that kicks in at the start of the new financial year, which means you should probably save some of your tax return to cover the extra cash you’re splashing on the bus every day.
Thanks to efforts from the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal, the price increase is an average of 3.6 percent, with individual increases for different methods of transport varying depending on whether you’re catching a bus, light rail, train or ferry.
The steepest increase will be for adults on train and metro trips, which is a maximum of 49 cents depending on your journey, while most bus, ferry and light rail trips will see a maximum price hike of 43 cents.
Actual prices vary based on the time of day you’re travelling, and the distance travelled — so it may pay to travel at off-peak times and shorten your distance where possible.
The weekly travel cap will remain the same.
“The weekly fare cap will stay at $50 for adults and $25 for child/youth and concession card holders. Seniors and pensioners will continue to be charged no more than $2.50 per day,” department secretary Josh Murray said of the changes.
“Weekend fares on Fridays will still apply, meaning Friday fares will be capped at $9.35 for all adults and $4.65 for child/youth and concession card holders for the whole day.”
Additionally, the access fee for heading to the airport train stations will increase to $17.34 and $15.50 for adults and youth, respectively.
The good news, you ask? Transport NSW claim that most commuters will be paying less than $1 per week more for their travel, if you account for Opal discounts and travel caps.
The bad news? That’s a dollar that would be better off in my pocket in this cost of living crisis.
