Opal Discussion and Observations

Sydney / New South Wales Transport Discussion
ahuatran
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by ahuatran »

BeauGiles wrote:New retail signage

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Tap into Opal - get your card and top up here
I love the new hop symbols on that sign. If only they rolled out the hop faster.
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boxythingy
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by boxythingy »

So they roll out a new sign with pics, but not a statement on the website acknowledging the recent faults and reminding people to phone in or send an email to try and rectify problems? :roll:

Nothing wrong with the pics, they look good but I kinda understand why Opal costs over $1b.
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Fleet Lists
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by Fleet Lists »

swtt wrote:
Fleet Lists wrote:Route 130 - it is not necessarily an F route as such but besides being mainly V there may be at least one trip operated by F. A route is not listed until ALL trips are covered. A reason none of the STA Metrobus routes are listed so far.

.
M10, 20, 40, 50 have already been gazetted (these were done in chunks during July, I remember seeing a gazette that also gazetted 397 with another metro bus route) but not listed in the official Opal active bus routes on the Opal website.
397 is listed in the Opal website so that is not a problem.
So far I have only found M50 as the only STA Metrobus route gazetted but not listed - I will need to go through the gazettes again to make sure I have got it right.
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Fleet Lists
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by Fleet Lists »

Also found M10 and M20 so I stand corrected in that respect but they are still not listed in the Opal website which makes it rather confusing.
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pgt
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by pgt »

Fleet Lists wrote:Also found M10 and M20 so I stand corrected in that respect but they are still not listed in the Opal website which makes it rather confusing.
I'm thinking the Opal website would be based on the ministerial announcements (ie. when all buses on the routes in question are Opal-enabled), given the public nature of said site (from sheer observation it seems to be reflecting that).

Forget which depots operate M10 given the latest set of changes (is it Leichhardt and Port Botany?), but M20 has Port Botany [Opal enabled], Tempe and the odd Ryde (and Leichhardt?) bus operating on it, so I'm not expecting to see M20 being announced until probably the very end (or at least until Ryde depot routes are announced).
Ditto for M40 (and 200) with Willoughby and Waverley buses operating those routes.
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MO-busfan
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by MO-busfan »

boronia wrote:I've noticed that Opal readers only seem to activate when approaching a bus stop if the bus is actually going to stop to set down/pick up. Just stopping for traffic lights near a stop doesn't seem to work them. Are they activated by the bell or opening the front door?
They are activated either automatically or pressing any key on the Wayfarer. Either way, the screen with the fare options and the Opal readers should light up simultaneously.
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user13548
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by user13548 »

swtt wrote:
boronia wrote:I've noticed that Opal readers only seem to activate when approaching a bus stop if the bus is actually going to stop to set down/pick up. Just stopping for traffic lights near a stop doesn't seem to work them. Are they activated by the bell or opening the front door?
GPS only. I've has occasions where the bell was rung but the activation failed with manual intervention required.

It does activate when the bus stop is near the red light and the bus is traveling slowly.
In addition to the replies above, if the bus dosent need to stop at a stop the readers will activate as it passes the GPS zone of the stop. The system is also route specific. If you are on a 333, the readers will not activate as you pass a stop that is for the 380.
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TheOpalUser
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Introducing OPAL Card

Post by TheOpalUser »

Incase anyone was wondering if this would actually work..

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Confirmed you can grab an unregistered Opal card - put $10 on there and use it to get to the airport - and it'll let you out with a negative balance.
Throw away the card, and repeat.


(I took the train home from Central to Sydenham to lower my balance a little)
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TheOpalUser
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Introducing OPAL Card

Post by TheOpalUser »

We're no longer 'save with Opal' but tap into travelling smarter with savings

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boxythingy
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by boxythingy »

Dumb to be forgetting about the Hop. While those ticket barriers have received 2 sticker changes so far within months, I see no further Hop rollouts besides those imagined in artists impressions.

The only sign I agree above is in regards to the $2.50 one, the rest are just rubbish. You can already save with Off Peak tickets too, by choosing to travel in the off peak... Nothing new, simply recycled junk.

How about giving us a clear timeline showing dates or approximate months on the further rollout of other cards and infrastructure besides using vague terms such as "by the end of the year”, or "soon".
Bus_fellow
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by Bus_fellow »

Of course, for someone paying an off-peak train fare on a Saturday, Opal is always going to be cheaper than paper tickets. That's not rubbish.
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by Daniel »

Let's keep the Hop discussion to the relevant thread. A four and a half year rollout is planned for wayfinding and Hop signage so let's leave it at that.
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boxythingy
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by boxythingy »

Saturday, 9 August – 9.00am to 5.00pm (Today) at Eastgardens Westfield
https://www.opal.com.au/en/where-can-i- ... ard-kiosk/
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https://twitter.com/reselsnark/status/4 ... 57/photo/1
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boronia
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by boronia »

boxythingy wrote: You can already save with Off Peak tickets too, by choosing to travel in the off peak... Nothing new, simply recycled junk.
Some people will lose out because they won't be able to travel at "off peak" fares in the PM peak.
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Bus_fellow
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by Bus_fellow »

I think that's covered with the "tap into smarter ticketing" sticker.
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GazzaOak
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by GazzaOak »

Has anyone attempted to get an acutal opal card (not top up) in a shop?? (not these kiosks that the government set up) I tried several shops in chatswood, and none actually sell cards, only top up
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CityRail
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by CityRail »

Image

New 'Get Your Opal Card' flag.
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TheOpalUser
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by TheOpalUser »

GazzaOak wrote:Has anyone attempted to get an acutal opal card (not top up) in a shop?? (not these kiosks that the government set up) I tried several shops in chatswood, and none actually sell cards, only top up
Cards aren't officially on sale until tomorrow.

But folks (including myself) have been able to get them throughout the last week at various retailers.

Every current retailer should sell cards themselves from tomorrow
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Passenger 57
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by Passenger 57 »

BeauGiles wrote:We're no longer 'save with Opal' but tap into travelling smarter with savings
These would seem less actionable by the ACCC for misleading claims. I'm surprised they didn't wait for the end of the month though when most of Opals cheaper rivals are eliminated.

BTW, I'd like to see an ad where Ms. MyMulti and perhaps the other maligned tickets beat the crap out of Opal man. Does anyone think those Opal man TV ads are not a huge waste of money?
Bus_fellow
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by Bus_fellow »

I think you might need a reality check about what a court would consider to be misleading and deceptive conduct.

But I could see the Chaser team dressing up in paper ticket costumes and ambushing an Opal man at a station.
Passenger 57
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by Passenger 57 »

I'm no legal scholar. It seems misleading and deceptive to me and companies have had their knuckles rapped for less than that.
They didn't even bother to asterisk the "Save with Opal"* sign.

* Refers to savings of time and/or money. Individual circumstances may vary. You may not actually save time or money.

I'm also hoping to see the ad where the woman breaks up with Opal man because he didn't live up to her expectations and reunites with poor old faithful FerryTen (ok, so he's a cheapskate and likes to stay at home, but at least he's straight forward and not demanding)

I wonder if it is something "The Checkout" would consider.

I should add that Opal man seems perfect for the two clueless dudes,
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by simonl »

Passenger 57 wrote:I wonder if it is something "The Checkout" would consider.
Probably. I'd expect a court would determine that they should have been more careful if a company did it and it came before them.
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boxythingy
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by boxythingy »

Speaking of checkouts, Woolworths stores are to join the "1000+ retailers" to sell unregistered cards.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-traffi ... 0231u.html
50 stores leading up to 1st September


This card has quite a prominent mark, Anyone else get a card with a lucky mark on theirs'?
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TheOpalUser
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Introducing OPAL Card

Post by TheOpalUser »

boxythingy wrote: This card has quite a prominent mark, Anyone else get a card with a lucky mark on theirs'?
Across all six (!) of my cards, there's varying degrees of prominence - as would be expected.

(I don't think any two cards would be exact)
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jpp42
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Re: Introducing OPAL Card

Post by jpp42 »

The "never queue again" ads at ticket machines have also been adjusted - they now say something like, "never queue in this line again". (Sorry forgot to get a photo.)
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