The New South Wales (NSW) government has enabled its commuters to pay for train travel using debit and credit cards, instead of an Opal.
The Sydney Trains network and any NSW Train Link Opal service will now accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards as well as linked mobile wallets.
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The tap card-and-go option will be accepted for trains, public ferry and light rail travel.
The state government intends to expand contactless payments to the bus network in Sydney next year.
Minister for transport and infrastructure Andrew Constance said: “Integrating contactless transport payments into the Opal ticketing system is about choice and convenience, giving customers another option for accessing public transport and the ability to pay as you go without ever having to wait in a queue at the station.”
The service was piloted last year by the state government with Cubic Transportation Systems. The trial phase started with commuters using ferry services in Sydney and later extended to light rail service.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) developed the core payment infrastructure for travel payments. The bank will use its alliance with Mobeewave to enable transit officers validate contactless payment fares leveraging off-the-shelf devices.
CBA business customer solutions executive general manager Clive Van Horen said, “Nearly all of an individual’s daily transactions across the city can now be accessed with a single card or device. This is in direct response to a growing demand for contactless payments, and the use of digital wallets.”
