Hornsby State Liberal MP Matt Kean welcomed the NSW Government's decision to introduce a concession Opal Card which will benefit tens of thousands of students allowing them to apply for cheaper and more convenient travel.
Seven tertiary institutions have now signed up to be part of the Concession Opal card, including Macquarie University where both Ben Cant and Jazmine Reid attend.
Mr Cant, of Mount Colah, said the new concession Opal Card would be hugely beneficial and time saving for him.
"I'll be saving up to 80 cents per trip which is great for someone my age being on a student budget," Mr Cant said.
Mr Kean said he was delighted to see start of the Concession Card rollout in time for the start of classes, so students can immediately start taking advantage of Opal's benefits, including cheaper fares, weekly travel rewards, and the convenience of never having to queue for a ticket again.
"Eventually more than 250,000 tertiary students will be able to apply for the Concession Opal card," Mr Kean said.
The Opal rollout was completed on all trains, buses, Sydney Ferries and light rail last year, with more than 1.8 million Adult, Child and Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal cards now issued.
"I am pleased Opal is proving so popular and I have no doubt tertiary students will love the convenience and savings their Concession Opal card has to offer," Mr Kean said.
Mr Kean said the seven participating tertiary institutions had worked closely with Transport for NSW to ensure they were ready for electronic ticketing.Students from the following institutions will be able to apply for the Concession Opal card from the following dates once they have enrolled and proven their eligibility:
The University of Sydney – 2 FebruaryUNSW Australia - 2 FebruaryThe University of Notre Dame Australia - 9 FebruaryAustralian Catholic University – 9 FebruaryThe University of Wollongong – 16 FebruaryMacquarie University – 23 FebruaryNavitas English – 5 March
"Once they are ready, we encourage institutions to contact Transport for NSW and ensure their students can be part of this exciting rollout," he said.
As well as cheaper and more convenient travel to classes, free travel rewards and a $2.50 Sunday travel cap, tertiary students with Opal have an incentive to catch public transport on weekends and explore popular tourist destinations such as the Blue Mountains and the Hunter – without breaking their budget.
To apply for a Concession Opal Card, students need to:
Enrol as a full time tertiary student (international students can only apply if on an approved Australian Government scholarship)Check if their tertiary institution has signed up to the Concession Opal card rolloutConfirm Concession Opal eligibility through their universityApply for a card on the Opal website or over the phone
Once students confirm their eligibility with their university, Opal cards can be ordered 24/7 from opal.com.au or over the phone by calling 13 OPAL (13 67 25).
Students are encouraged to link their Opal card to a debit card to top up automatically like an e-tag and never have to queue again. Alternatively they can top-up online at opal.com.au, over the phone on 13 OPAL (13 67 25) 24 hours, 7 days a week, or at more than 1,800 Opal retailers.
