NSW’s digital Opal transport card is set to be expanded to services such as Uber and bike-sharing in a new trial.
The trial will see 10,000 Opal users able to pay for Uber, Ingogo Taxi, the Manly Fast Ferry, and Lime Bikes with their digital cards. Customers who use public transport and at least one other mode within an hour will also receive a $3 credit.
In this posed picture the Uber app is opened on a mobile phone in London, Monday, Nov. 25, 2019. Uber have lost their licence to operate in London but will continue to operate until they can appeal. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
As reported in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning, NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance says the trial is aimed at getting cars off the road by incentivising “cross-pollination” of platforms.
“One of the frustrations we experience, particularly with our bus commuters at the moment, is the city has grown to a point where you just can’t go from one point seamlessly to another on one mode.
“What we are doing is incentivising the interchange so less people drive,” he said.
If successful, the program will be rolled out across Sydney’s public transport network, with other providers also encouraged to sign on.
