08 Sep 2015
IPART has been asked to review and determine maximum fares for public transport to apply from July 2016. The review affects all users of rail, bus, ferry and light rail services on which the Opal card can be used. This covers most services in Sydney, Newcastle, the Central Coast, Wollongong, the Blue Mountains and the Hunter regions.
In July we released an Issues Paper “Finding the best fare structure for Opal.” We sought stakeholder comment and conducted an online survey which asked for community views about Opal card fares and whether they should be distance based, and whether the same fares should be applied across buses, trains and ferries. We received over 1,800 survey responses. The survey and submissions have now closed.
On 8 September, we released a Methodology Paper “A new methodology for setting fares “ focusing on how we propose to determine fares. We are seeking comment on our proposed approach until 9 October. You can download the paper at the link below.
You can make an online submission, or alternatively via:
email transport@ipart.nsw.gov.au or post
IPART (Transport Team)
PO Box K35
Haymarket Post Office NSW 1240
We will hold a public hearing on Tuesday 15 September which will discuss both fare structure and our proposed methodology for setting the level of fares. All interested stakeholders are invited to attend. You can register your attendance at the link below. An agenda for the hearing will be available shortly.
Proposed fares will then be released for public comment in December before the final determination on maximum fares is delivered to the NSW Government in March 2016. Any new fares would come into effect on 1 July 2016.
Media Contact - Julie Sheather - 02 9290 8403 or 0409 514 643