Latest news with #SydneyTransport
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Expat busts major myth about public transport in Sydney: 'Took me years to figure this out'
An Irish expat has only just realised the true cost of public transport in Sydney after months of believing her journeys cost $1. Rebecca, a lawyer who moved to the city at the end of last year, has been using her bank card to tap on and off buses, trams and train, but until recently she had no idea she was being charged more than the initial pre-authorisation fee. The expat thought the $1 payment her bank card registered every time she tapped on was the sum total of each journey and had no idea a higher amount was taken at a later day. 'Guys help I've been living in Sydney for seven months and just realised public transport isn't just $1 every time I tap,' she said on TikTok. 'Is this common knowledge? Am I actually dumb?' Rebecca isn't the only one who made this mistake. Fellow Irish expat Isabel shared that she recently had the same realisation in her own separate video. 'Five months spent thinking my commute only cost $1 each time...,' she wrote. The Irish expect shared a screenshot of her monthly spending on transport, showing she has spent $313.39 in June as of Wednesday. Sydney residents agreed with the pair, sharing their thoughts on the pre-authorisation fee. 'I've been here for two years nearly and have just found out recently about it,' one said. 'Tell me you don't check your bank statements, without telling me you don't check them.' 'I never look to see how much it costs. Out of sight, out of mind,' another agreed. 'It's taken me years to figure that out. I don't take public transport much though,' a third said. 'No one tells you it's not $1. I thought it was $1. Why don't they advertise it or something,' another commented. However, one viewer was surprised Rebecca didn't check her bank statements regularly to keep an eye on unauthorised transactions. They wrote: 'Do you not check your bank statements or have the app notify you when money is taken out? I'm so nervous about fraud charges that I see every cent that leaves my account!' The Irish expat said she 'rarely' checked her banking app. NSW Transport confirmed the $1 charge is temporary. 'After you tap on, a pre-authorisation amount of $1 is held temporarily. This will appear as a pending transaction on your statement,' it reads online. 'As you travel throughout the day, fares accumulate, and the total cost will be processed at the end of the day, replacing the $1 pre-authorisation.' Opal fares and single trip tickets will rise by an average of 2.5 per cent from July 14. For adults, Monday to Thursday will have a cap of $19.30 while there will be a daily cap of $9.65 on Fridays, the weekend and public holidays. The daily cap for children will be $9.65, with weekends and public holidays have a cap of $4.80.
News.com.au
15 hours ago
- News.com.au
Public transport mistake every Sydneysider is making
Two expats living in Sydney have unearthed a huge misconception about the city's public transport system — and it turns out plenty of commuters are making the same mistake. Rebecca is an Irish expat living in Sydney, and has been using the city's public transport system to get around. She'd been using her bank card to tap on and off – as many of us do – meaning a holding fee of $1 was taken every time. But Rebecca thought that was all she was being charged each time, not realising the true amount was taken out at a later date. 'Guys help I've been living in Sydney for seven months and just realised public transport isn't just $1 every time I tap,' she said in a social media video. 'Is this common knowledge? Am I actually dumb?' The Irish expat isn't the only person to make this mistake. Isabel, another Irish visitor living in Sydney, said it took her five months to realise. '$300 already this month alone,' she captioned her video after realising what she'd actually spent on public transport. Social media users had a huge reaction to the trend of commuters discovering that public transport in Sydney was not $1 per trip. Some understood, saying they had the same realisation, while others passed judgement. 'In Brissy every transport mode no matter how far you go is $0.50,' one person commented. Another said: 'Do you not check your bank statements or have the app notify you when money is taken out? I'm so nervous about fraud charges I see every cent that leaves my account!' 'Get yourself an Opal card it's cheaper than using your bank card,' one person said. Another added: 'I'm still convinced it's $1, my acc never gets charged.' 'No one tells you it's not $1. I thought it was $1. Why don't they advertise it or smth [sic],' one person commented. Another admitted: 'It's taken me years to figure that out. I don't take public transport much though.' 'I fear this is common knowledge, but I was born here so it's probably more expected for me to know this,' another added. One person chimed in: 'I somehow racked up an extra $90 worth of charges from Transport NSW after spending a week-ish in Sydney LOL I thought my card got stolen.' 'Not dumb. Every state has different price systems. Some free on weekends some not. Different rates at different times. All over the joint,' another offered. Someone else commented: 'Nope. I've been here for two years nearly and have just found out recently about it. Tell me you don't check your bank statements, without telling me you don't check them.' A spokesperson for Transport NSW cleared up the confusion about the $1 hold. 'Transport for NSW aims to make travel as seamless as possible for all users, including the more than 60 per cent of adult passengers who opt to use their credit or debit card or phone,' the spokesperson told 'When a passenger taps on using a credit or debit card or linked device, a pre-authorisation amount of $1 is held temporarily. This will appear as a pending transaction and is not indicative of your travel fare. 'The reason for this is to account for additional travel and accumulated fares across the day, rather than charging your card multiple times over multiple transactions. The total cost is then processed at 4am the day after travel, replacing the $1 hold amount,' the spokesperson continued. 'Charges will appear as 'Transport for NSW Tap' or 'Transport for NSW travel Sydney'.' From July 14, Opal fares and single trip tickets will rise by an average of 2.5 per cent. For adults, Monday to Thursday will have a cap of $19.30. Fridays, the weekend and public holidays will have a daily cap of $9.65. Children will have a daily cap of $9.65, with weekends and public holidays have a cap of $4.80. The Sydney Airport Station Access fee will also increase. Weekly fares are still capped at $50 for Adults and $25 for Child/Youth and Concession card holders, and Seniors and Pensioners won't pay more than $2.50 per day.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
$313 charge sparks major warning for Aussie public transport users: 'No one tells you'
Two public transport users in Sydney have been shocked to discover how much they've been paying to get from A to B in the city. The Irish expats thought every time they tapped their card to ride the bus, train, light rail or ferry, it was only costing them $1. That's because the sign on the machine will usually display $1 after you've tapped on. However, a spokesperson for Transport NSW told Yahoo Finance this was only a holding charge. "When a passenger taps on using a credit or debit card or linked device, a pre-authorisation amount of $1 is held temporarily," they said. Money crisis sparks capital city exodus as Australians embrace 'new frontier' Mortgage warning over July RBA interest rate cut Centrelink age pension alert for Aussies travelling overseas "This will appear as a pending transaction and is not indicative of your travel fare. "The reason for this is to account for additional travel and accumulated fares across the day, rather than charging your card multiple times over multiple transactions. "The total cost is then processed at 4am the day after travel, replacing the $1 hold amount."People over the age of 16 will be charged an adult fare when riding on public transport in the city. Buses, trains, light rail and ferries have different prices depending on how far you go and whether you are travelling during peak or off-peak times. However, they range as low as $2.24 and as high as $10.33 for one way. The only exception is the train line from Sydney Airport, which costs $17.34 one way. If you're using that line a lot, there's a $35.16 weekly cap. There's also a daily and weekly cap for buses, trains, light rail, and ferries: $18.70 a day (Mondays to Thursdays), $9.35 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays $50 a week Those daily caps are set to increase on July 14, to $19.30 for Monday to Thursday, and $9.65 for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays. Transport NSW told Yahoo Finance you can only access these caps if you use the same card each time per day and per week. If you don't tap off correctly, you will be charged the default fare for an incomplete trip, which is the maximum possible fare for that service. The ACT is the only other state or territory that applies a pre-authorisation charge on your debit or credit card when you travel on public transport. As for the various state-based travel cards like Myki and Opal, there is also no pre-authorisation charge. Isabel and Rebecca, both from Ireland, have spent several months in Sydney and weren't aware they were racking up far more in transport charges than just $1 every time. One claimed to have spent $313 in one month, however, Yahoo Finance understands that wouldn't be possible if she used the same card every time each week as it should cap out at $50, or $200 for the month. But it's clear many Aussie travellers have been tripped up by thinking they were only spending $1 each time they tapped on and off. "No one tells you it's not $1. I thought it was $1. Why don't they advertise it or something?" said one person. "It's taken me years to figure that out," added another. A third said: "I've been here for two years nearly and have just found out recently about it. Tell me you don't check your bank statements, without telling me you don't check them." Just make sure you check your account every now and then so you know how much those fares from A to B are really costing in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Big price increase for one city
Public transport users in Sydney will soon fork out more for their trips as Opal fares are set to increase. From July 14 most fares will be adjusted in line with the annual consumer price index movement. This means an average increase of 2.5 per cent across Opal fares and single trip tickets. Adult customers will have a new daily travel cap of $19.30 between Monday and Thursday, and $9.65 between Friday and Sunday, and on public holidays. That is an increase of 60c on weekday travel and 30c on weekends. The cap for children and concession card holders will jump to a daily weekday cap of $9.65, while the weekend and public holiday cap will hop up to $4.80. That increase is 30c on weekdays and 15c on weekends. Airport travellers will also face an increase, with the station access fee increasing from $17.34 to $17.92 for adults — a 58c increase — and from $15.50 to $16.03 for kids, seniors and concession card holders — a 53c increase. The weekly airport travel cap of $35.16 for adults and $31.51 for kids and concession card holders will increase to$36.36 and $32.58 respectively. Weekly travel caps on the network will remained capped at $50 for adults and $25 for children and concession card holders, while seniors and pensioners with a Gold Opal card will still be charged no more than $2.50 a day. Transport for NSW Secretary Josh Murray said the fare increases were necessary to help recover the cost of running the network. 'We've leveraged the discounts available to us to protect the hip pockets of those most reliant on our public transport system,' Mr Murray said. 'We've done our best to minimise the impact on passengers and the 14 July changes will see average weekly adult travel costs go up by an average of $0.50, and less than $1 for 99 per cent of passengers' Mr Murray said.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Public transport fares are set to increase on public transport in Sydney
Public transport users in Sydney will soon fork out more for their trips as Opal fares are set to increase. From July 14 most fares will be adjusted in line with the annual consumer price index movement. This means an average increase of 2.5 per cent across Opal fares and single trip tickets. Adult customers will have a new daily travel cap of $19.30 between Monday and Thursday, and $9.65 between Friday and Sunday, and on public holidays. That is an increase of 60c on weekday travel and 30c on weekends. The cap for children and concession card holders will jump to a daily weekday cap of $9.65, while the weekend and public holiday cap will hop up to $4.80. That increase is 30c on weekdays and 15c on weekends. Airport travellers will also face an increase, with the station access fee increasing from $17.34 to $17.92 for adults — a 58c increase — and from $15.50 to $16.03 for kids, seniors and concession card holders — a 53c increase. The weekly airport travel cap of $35.16 for adults and $31.51 for kids and concession card holders will increase to$36.36 and $32.58 respectively. Weekly travel caps on the network will remained capped at $50 for adults and $25 for children and concession card holders, while seniors and pensioners with a Gold Opal card will still be charged no more than $2.50 a day. Transport for NSW Secretary Josh Murray said the fare increases were necessary to help recover the cost of running the network. 'We've leveraged the discounts available to us to protect the hip pockets of those most reliant on our public transport system,' Mr Murray said. 'We've done our best to minimise the impact on passengers and the 14 July changes will see average weekly adult travel costs go up by an average of $0.50, and less than $1 for 99 per cent of passengers' Mr Murray said.
