<span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description"> Transport for NSW has recorded a âfantasticâ response on the first day of availability for the new Gold Opal card, which gives seniors and pensioners a $2.50 daily cap for travel. </span> <p>NSW minister for transport Gladys Berejiklian yesterday said more than 7000 Gold Opal cards were issued on Monday, the first day the electronic ticketing card was made available to seniors and pensioners.<br /><br />The launch of the Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card marked another major milestone in the Opal rollout, and will make a huge difference for seniors and pensioners when it comes to paying for and using public transport, Berejiklian said.<br /><br />Seniors and pensioners can still buy and use their paper Pensioner Excursion Tickets (PET) if they don’t want to use the Gold Opal card, she added.<br /><br />“We have had an absolutely fantastic response on the first day of the Gold Senior/Pensioner Card, and I’m very pleased so many people have been keen to either call in to the Opal Customer Care Line or go online and apply for the card,” Berejiklian said.<br /><br />“[Monday’s] response to the Gold Opal card exceeded our expectations. I ask customers for their patience if they’re choosing to ring up to order their card, and can assure seniors and pensioners we are putting on extra resources to meet demand.”<br /><br />More than 1.1 million adult and child/youth Opal cards have been issued, Berejiklian said.<br /><br />“Let me assure everyone that the Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card is not compulsory, and rest assured that the paper Pensioner Excursion Ticket will continue to be available well into the future,” she continued.<br /><br />“We know there are some customers who will want to take their time to learn about Opal before they choose to use it. That is completely understandable and we want people to have that choice.”</p>
