Campbelltown commuters will feel an extra sting to their cost of living this week as the Baird Government’s decision to scrap free Opal card journeys comes into force.
Local MP Greg Warren says commuters will feel the pain come Friday when they tap on their Opal cards at train stations, on buses and at ferry wharves to discover that the last day of the working week is no longer free on public transport thanks to the government’s Opal fare changes.
Despite the huge volume of submissions to IPART slamming the new fare structure, commuters will now have to fork out hundreds of dollars a year more to get to and from work, Mr Warren said.
From today the free journeys after eight trip reward will be scrapped and instead a 50 per cent discount will apply after eight paid journeys – leaving commuters severely out of pocket.
For most regular commuters in Campbelltown, this will increase weekly travel costs by 12.5 per cent.
For example, five day a week commuters from Campbelltown to Central will pay an extra $335.92 a year and those travelling to Liverpool daily will pay $218.40 more a year.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“Local residents suffer with roads congested to choking point, so now is not the time to discourage people from taking public transport,’’ Mr Warren said.[/social_quote]
“The cost of living pressure is real.
“Such a massive hike in public transport fares is just another added cost that will make it harder for many people to balance the family budget.
“Adding insult to injury, one of the hardest hit groups will be pensioners, who often solely rely on public transport.”
Mr Warren says the pain for local commuters is expected to continue, because during Budget Estimates hearings last week the Transport Minister Andrew Constance refused to rule out further fare increases next year.
