New gold opal card for seniors

opal senior

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian today announced that seniors and pensioners can from Monday November 3 order their own Gold Opal card if they choose to, and pay no more than $2.50 a day to use public transport.

Seniors and pensioners can still buy and use their paper Pensioner Excursion Tickets (PET) if they don’t want to use the Gold Opal card.

“The new Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card means eligible customers won’t pay more than $2.50 a day for travel on trains, buses, Sydney Ferries and light rail when it is rolled out,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“From Monday November 3, seniors and pensioners can access all the benefits of the Opal card ”“ including the convenience of never having to queue for a paper ticket again. Gold Opal customers can use cash to top up their card with as little as $2.50.

“Already more than 1.1 million Adult and Child/Youth Opal cards have been issued, and this number continues to grow as more customers realise the benefits of Opal.”

“Let me assure everyone that the Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card is not compulsory, and rest assured that the paper Pensioner Excursion Ticket will continue to be available on Monday November 3, and well into the future.

“We know there are some customers who will want to take their time to learn about Opal before they choose to use it. That is completely understandable and we want people to have that choice.”

The Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card is available for NSW Seniors, Pensioner Concession card holders and NSW War Widows. Customers only need to get the Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card once, and the card itself will not cost anything.

To order a Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card customers can call 13 67 25 (13 OPAL) or visit the Opal website at www.opal.com.au ”“ it takes only minutes to apply, and then it takes about one week for the card to be mailed out to the customer’s home.

Ms Berejiklian said Opal information kiosks will be located at major shopping centres and some CBD train stations in coming weeks to assist those wanting a card.

Seniors and pensioners can choose to simply link their Opal card to their credit or debit card and set it to auto top up, like having an e-tag in your pocket.

They can also choose to manually top up the Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal with cash if they want to. More than 1,400 Opal retail stores can be found via an easy-to-use map at www.retailers.opal.com.au or by calling the Opal Customer Care line.

Customers can also check their balance and top up by calling 13 67 25 (13 OPAL) or online at www.opal.com.au. The minimum top up online or over the phone is $10. Machines at stations will also be part of the Opal rollout.

Minister for Ageing John Ajaka said the NSW Government had worked tirelessly with the community to ensure all eligible customers would be well informed about the Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card and its many advantages.

Opal can now be used on all suburban and intercity trains, all Sydney Ferries and more than 4,300 buses, with all buses Opal activated by the end of the year and light rail in early 2015.

As part of the marketing campaign for the Opal rollout, new how-to-use Opal videos are also being released at www.opal.com.au from today, and in coming months.

The benefits of the Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card include:

  • Fares are capped at no more than $2.50 a day
  • Customers can spend even less than $2.50 on many journeys with Opal
  • Never visit a shop or ticket office again to buy a paper ticket
  • No more fumbling for coins and rushing as your train or bus is approaching
  • Top up the card’s value with a minimum $2.50 cash at one of more than 1,400 Opal retailers
  • A customer doesn’t have to worry if they lose their card ”“ simply cancel the card and their balance will be transferred to a new card and mailed out to them
  • Set the Opal card to auto top up, just like having an e-tag in your pocket
  • Customers who travel more than 8 paid journeys in a week will get free trips after that for the rest of the week, like any other Opal customer.

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