PUBLIC transport fares are being reviewed by the state's pricing tribunal to determine the maximum cost of travel on Opal-networked services for the next four years.
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Fares across rail, bus, ferry and light rail services in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, the Central Coast, Hunter and Blue Mountains will be reviewed by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).
One change being considered is the extension of off-peak fares to buses, ferries and light rail.
The off-peak fares, which only apply on trains, are 30 per cent lower than the weekday peaks of 7am to 9am and 4pm to 6.30pm.
IPART chair Dr Paul Paterson said public transport use benefited the whole community but was a significant cost for the government.
He said it was important fares provided the best possible value for money for both passengers and taxpayers while meeting the community's social, economic and environmental goals.
"Fares have fallen in real terms over the last ten years and currently pay for less than a quarter of the costs of providing public transport," he said.
"Taxpayers are now paying more to operate public transport in NSW and with the significant investment in new services that is being made, this contribution is forecast to keep rising.
"We welcome input from everyone on how much of the costs should be paid through fares and how much should be funded by the rest of the community."
The tribunal is calling for community input into how fares should be set until 2024.
It is seeking comment on a range of fare options, including changes to:
- How fares are calculated for different distances, including the number and range of fare bands and maximum fares;
- Delivering discounts for users of contactless payments using bank cards or mobile devices that do not currently attract the same discounts as the Opal card.
- Setting new mode-specific fares for light rail and metro trips and/or adjusting the fare discounts for journeys that use more than one mode (eg, a bus trip and a train trip);
- Applying peak fares only to trips in particular locations (such as CBD train stations in periods where overcrowding is a major problem); and
- Extending off-peak fares to buses, ferries, and light rail (these currently only applies to trains);
Proposed fares will be released for public comment in November before the final determination on maximum fares is delivered to the NSW government in February 2020.
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