<span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description"> NSW transport minister Gladys Berejiklian has announced a $10 million deal which will see commuters travelling to Sydney Airport more than once a week save money through the stateâs new Opal card scheme. </span> <div>More than 550,000 Opal cards have now been issued and customers are ‘tapping’ on and off all suburban and intercity trains, all Sydney Ferries and more than 2,300 buses across greater Sydney, Berejiklian said.<br /><br />The scheme is marketed towards customers as being able to save them money.<br /><br />But because the Airport stations are operated by private company Airport Link, customers who travel to the Domestic or International Airport stations pay their train fare as well as a station access fee.<br /><br />Berejiklian said with two weeks to go until the retirement of some paper ticket types on 1 September, the NSW Government has reached an agreement to keep costs down for people who travel to the airport more than once a week with Opal.<br /><br />“We are introducing a new weekly cap on the airport station access fee for Opal customers, so combined with cheaper Opal train fares, thousands of workers who travel to the airport regularly will save,” Berejiklian said.<br /><br />“Customers who only travel to the airport on a one-off basis to go on holidays will continue to pay the single station access fee of $12.60 for adults or $10.60 for concessions, as they have always done.<br /><br />“Previously, regular customers including airport workers had to pay up-front for a weekly paper ticket to benefit from a $21 weekly cap on the station access fee – otherwise they paid the single station access fee of $12.60 every time they travelled.”<br /><br />This ticket will no longer be available from September 1.<br /><br />“The new arrangement – which is costing the NSW Government a one-off $10 million – means from 1 September Opal customers who travel to the airport more than once in a week will get a $21 weekly cap on the station access fee,” Berejiklian said.<br /><br />“With a fortnight until the retirement of 14 paper ticket types, including weekly paper train tickets, I am pleased we have been able to work out a deal for Opal customers.”
