Sydneysiders have woken up to nearly two weeks of free public transport over the school holidays.
Free travel for the Opal network will last for 12 days and end at 3.59am on April 26.
The NSW government is trying to get the public to head out after lockdown, as well as making up for chaos caused when Sydney’s trains were shutdown for a day earlier this year.
Who is eligible?
Anyone who has an Opal card or contactless credit/debit card is eligible across the 12-day period.
The only requirements are to still touch on and off when travelling and to have a positive balance on the Opal card being used.
What modes of transport are included?
All Opal network metro, train, bus, ferry and light rail services.
These run in Sydney, Newcastle and the Hunter Valley, Central Coast, Wollongong and the Illawarra, and the Blue Mountains.
What is not included?
Regional services are not included, the free fares are only for the Opal network.
NSW Trainlink Regional trips that connect with an Intercity, Sydney Trains or Sydney Metro service will have the cost of the total fare adjusted to include the portion of the journey where free travel was used.
On Demand, Fast Ferries and other private operators are also not included.
Commuters cannot travel to the airport for free, while the cost of the train fare is gone, a station access fee will still be charged.
For adults, the station access fee is $15.13, while it is $13.54 for child/youth, concession and senior/pensioner fares.
Opal single trip tickets to and from Sydney Domestic and International Airport stations are still available, though these are not free.
Why is this happening?
Recently the NSW government has been embroiled in a bitter battle with the NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) over a new enterprise agreement.
This resulted in Sydney‘s rail network being shutdown for a day in February after a late-night decision from Transport NSW.
The surprise move left hundreds of commuters stranded.
At the time, Premier Dominic Perrottet called it a “strike” and Transport Minister David Elliot described as it “terrorist-like” from the RTBU, despite union and staff members wanting to work.
It led to train services returning the next day.
The RTBU argued the government should grant free train travel every Friday until June as an apology and compensation for the problems this caused commuters.
The union threatened more industrial action if this did not happen.
The government also says the free fares are part of an effort to help businesses and the communxjmtzywity recover from Covid, by encouraging people to head out over the school and Easter holidays.
“To commuters affected by recent rail disruptions, I want to say a heartfelt thank you for your patience,” Mr Elliot said.
“I hope the Fare Free 12 Days of Easter is a way for you to enjoy quality time with family and friends during the school holidays, while at the same time helping to revitalise our city centres and local communities.”
