STUDENTS TAP ON WITH CHEAPER FARES AS MORE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS GO LIVE WITH OPAL

Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance today announced eligible students at eight tertiary institutions, including the University of Newcastle and Australian Institute of Music, can now sign up for cheaper and more convenient travel with Opal.

The latest group of institutions, together with the seven who signed up earlier this year, mean around 150,000 eligible students from across Sydney and the regions are now able to enjoy cheaper fares and the convenience of a Concession Opal card.

“This is great news for students who can now enjoy the benefits of Opal, which include a 50 per cent discount on the already cheaper Adult Opal fares for trains, buses, light rail and Sydney Ferries,” Mr Constance said.

“Eventually we will have more than 250,000 tertiary students who will be able to apply for the Concession Opal card, as more institutions come on board in the near future.”

Students from the following institutions can now apply for the Concession Opal card if they have enrolled and proven their eligibility:

• University of Newcastle
• La Trobe University – Sydney Campus
• Sydney Rudolf Steiner College

• June Dally Watkins Business Finishing School
• JMC Academy
• Australian Institute of Music
• Excelsia College
• Tractor Design School

“Eligible students from these institutions will also be able to access benefits such as daily travel caps and weekly travel rewards, providing free travel after eight paid journeys in a week,” Mr Constance said.

“They join students from the University of Sydney, UNSW Australia, the University of Notre Dame Australia, Australian Catholic University, the University of Wollongong, Macquarie University and Navitas English, who have already gone live with Opal.”

To apply for a Concession Opal Card, students need to:

• Confirm Concession Opal eligibility through their institution and provide consent to share their details.
• Allow 2 working days for their information to be received by Transport for NSW.
• Apply for a card on the Opal website www.opal.com.au or over the phone by calling 13 OPAL (13 67 25).

Eligible students are encouraged to link their Opal card to a credit or debit card to top up automatically like an e-tag and never have to queue again.

Alternatively, students can top up online, over the phone, or at the more than 1,800 Opal retailers.

The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government completed the rollout of Opal across the network last year, with more than 2.6 million cards now issued.