In an effort to revitalize Sydney’s CBD, the Minns administration has proposed lower Opal tickets for commuters from NSW who travel on Fridays.
Friday fares will be thirty percent less starting today, the same as the weekend promotional fares.
This means that instead of $5.72, a Friday train trip from Parramatta to Central Station will now only cost $4.
Additionally, the Friday travel cap will be cut in half, resulting in a maximum ticket of $8.90 for adults and $4.45 for children and concession holders.
The initiative is a part of a series of steps to make Sydney a more vibrant global city, according to NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen, who made the announcement today at Wynyard train station.
“We have seen reductions in public transport use because people have changed the way they work and of course then the way they travel,” she stated to.
“We receive between 70 and 75 percent of our business on Fridays, which is the lowest level of patronage; on the weekends, we receive well over 110 percent.”
“We want to encourage people to use our public transport network as the mode of choice every time, where they can, and we hope that this Friday discount will mean that more people choose public transport on a Friday.”
All Opal users will be able to get discounted Friday fares throughout the public transportation system.
Following the implementation of a 3.7% rise in Opal fares last Saturday, the move is essentially cost-neutral.
Paul Nicolaou, executive director of Business Sydney, described the government program as a “great bonus” for the city.
“As we know, a lot of people work from home on Mondays and on Fridays,” he stated.
“Businesses greatly appreciate anything we can do to encourage people to come into the city to work, play, and enjoy the beauty of our wonderful city.”
Due to the fact that a large number of individuals are still working from home, numerous businesses have suffered significantly since the outbreak.
