[Greens-Media] FW: MEDIA RELEASE: 'Government Opal Card Selling Strategy Makes No Transport Sense' (Greens NSW Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC)

[Mehreen Faruqi]

Media Release
29.07.14
Government Opal Card Selling Strategy Makes No Transport Sense
Greens MP and NSW Spokesperson for Transport, Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC, has criticised the Government's policy of not allowing Opal Cards to be sold at station windows as undermining integrated transport and ticketing and a move towards further privatisation of public transport.

Dr Faruqi said:

"We now have an absurd situation where Sydney Trains staff are unable to sell Opal Cards from ticket windows, which undermines the very essence of making ticketing easy.

"It is very clear that this is a move to undermine public sector workers and give a private company and contractors a monopoly on selling the Opal Cards; already we have seen more than seventy public sector ticketing staff go.

"The idea that you would have 'pop up' kiosks at a small number of stations for a limited time only, whilst prohibiting ticket window staff from selling Opal cards is just absurd and undermines the basic principle of promoting public transport -  remove barriers to patronage to ensure more people use and benefit from it.

"From September 1, discounted paper tickets, such as off-peak returns will no longer be available. This will disproportionally affect part time workers and low income people.

"This Government has not offered a truly integrated Opal system that allows people to change modes without being penalised. Different modes of transport during the same journey will be charged separately which discourages commuters.

"The more we know about the Opal system, the more we know that the government is missing a golden opportunity to catch up with the rest of the world and make public transport easier, not harder for commuters" she concluded.

Media Contact: Matt Hilton 0423 106 247



Matt Hilton
Legislative, Policy and Media Adviser

Office of Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC
Legislative Council | NSW Parliament
E: matthew.hilton at parliament.nsw.gov.au<mailto:matthew.hilton at parliament.nsw.gov.au>
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Mail: Parliament House, Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

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