IPART has completed its review of appropriate maximum fares for Opal services from 1 January 2025 until 2028 and released a final determination and final report.
Opal services include rail, bus, ferry, light rail, metro and on-demand services within the Opal network, which includes Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast, the Illawarra, and the Hunter.
Tribunal Chair Carmel Donnelly said maximum fares balance the need for affordable public transport, which many people rely on, with the rising cost of providing safe and efficient services.
“Taxpayers, not passengers, fund the majority of the cost of providing public transport, because it provides broad benefits to the whole community including reducing congestion on our roads, supporting economic activity, education, social connectivity and environmental advantages,” Ms Donnelly said.
“The maximum fare protects consumers from excessive charging, but the price passengers actually pay is set by the NSW Government and all current ticket prices are set below the current maximum fare.”
IPART’s final decisions result in a 2% average real increase to maximum fares.
- For bus and light rail, most maximum fares will stay the same as they are now, with a small (1.6%) increase to maximum fares in the 3 to 8 km distance band
- For train and metro, maximum fares will rise between 0.7% and 4.1%, depending on the distance band
- For Sydney ferry services, maximum fares will increase by between 3 and 4%
- The Newcastle-Stockton ferry maximum fare will not increase.
All maximum fares will increase by CPI on each 1 July until 2028. Transport for NSW typically updates fares on 1 July each year.
IPART has also made recommendations to Transport for NSW around eligibility rules for concession fares, off-peak discounts, rebates for service quality impacts, work to understand and address fare non-compliance, fare relativities, new fare options, and information availability.
IPART’s final report is available at www.ipart.nsw.gov.au.
Media Contact: Mark O’Brien
0427 105 865