Sydney's aging Opal public transport ticketing system faces potential failure if credit card companies refuse to extend certification waivers. Delays in the upgrade risk more reader failures, leading to commuters being charged maximum fares and potentially forcing a return to physical Opal cards for over half of contactless users.
More than half of Sydney’s fare-paying adult commuters could be forced back onto Opal cards and prevented from using mobile phones and credit cards to make contactless payments for public transport trips if financial institutions refuse to keep certifying the rapidly ageing ticketing system .Delays to the complex upgrade risk more Opal readers failing and causing greater numbers of commuters to be charged maximum fares because they cannot tap off at the end of trips.
Other internal documents show Transport for NSW has been targeting September 2027 as a “go-live” date for the ticketing system, which is later than the original plans to complete the upgrade byof the existing contract with private company Cubic to operate Opal expires. The contract has cost taxpayers $1.345 billion since 2010.
“Any failure in the system increases the likelihood that could be prevented from collecting fare-box revenue for extended periods, worth $1.8 billion .” If a passenger cannot tap off at a reader, they will be charged the maximum possible fare for their journey based on their Opal card type. It means the holder of an adult Opal card who took a bus for a short trip could be slugged $5.60 instead of $3.20 for a journey of up to three kilometres.
OPAL Public Transport Ticketing System Upgrade Certification
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