Up to $70million on unused Opal cards to be swiped by the NSW Government in a bid to improve the state
An eye-watering $70million left on unused Opal cards will be swiped by the NSW government to put towards improving the state.
A bill introduced at NSW parliament on Wednesday aims to give the transport department the power to use the funds remaining on unregistered travel cards that have been sitting ‘dormant’ for at least five years.
There are an estimated 17 million Opal cards with funds left on them that are expected to remain unused for five years by 2026 or 2027.
It suggested that the Opals would have a total worth of about $70million, with the average unused balance of $4 per card.
Many of the card are believed to have been purchased by interstate or international visitors as a one-off and not used again.
But some Aussies were quick to criticise the policy.
‘People pay in advance on these cards,’ one person said.
‘Then if they can’t get out of the house for a while. You take the money. That’s so damn wrong. You are nothing but robbers.’
An eye-watering $70million left on unused Opal cards will be swiped by the NSW government after they were bought by one-off visitors (pictured, commuters disembark a Manly ferry)
There are an estimated 17 million Opal cards with funds left on them that will not have been used for half a decade by 2026 or 2027, Transport for NSW estimates (stock)
‘What if you only use public transport on rare occasions or when you are in Sydney on holidays or travel?’ a second wrote.
‘Plenty of people from the bush and interstate have Opal cards from previous trips to Sydney and have unused credit.’
But others said they were in favour of the move if it promised improved infrastructure.
‘I’m all for it if it means they will finally fix our roads with the money!’ one said.
‘I’m talking the majority of roads in the state that are unsafe to drive on. You shouldn’t have to choose to run into the car next to you or blow a tyre.’
NSW Transport Minister John Graham released a statement on Wednesday sharing how the $70million could improve the state.
‘Sydney is a global destination and a magnet for visitors which is one reason why there may be so many Opal cards – 17 million of them – left unused with dormant balances for five years or more,’ he said.
‘This bill proposes to put those otherwise unused funds into transport investments.’
There are an estimated 17 million Opal cards with funds left on them that will not have been used for half a decade by 2026 or 2027, according to the state government
This would include more Opal bike lockers and establishing a better system for shared e-bikes such as taking them off footpaths.
Currently, there are over 830 bike lockers at 110 locations which are accessed using an Opal card. Those renting the lockers are usually charged between $50 for three months and $180 for a year.
The NSW Government plans to launch a year-long communications campaign before claiming the unused funds to alert residents.
Anyone with an Opal card that has not been used in five years can recover their funds during that time.
When asked for comment on some of the criticism online, Graham highlighted that these are unregistered cards that have been out of use for five years and have an average balance of $4.
‘A significant proportion of these cards could be in places like the bottom of a backpack on the other side of the world,’ he reiterated.
‘What we are doing is using forgotten funds for the benefit of people resident in NSW.’
The NSW Government is not the first state to implement the policy.
In Queensland, any unused funds from ‘go’ cards that remain dormant for five years are reinvested into the public transport network.
