My mates and I made this video to show people how to travel with Opal Card in Sydney for less than $20 a week.
It takes a bit of time, but it works, potentially saving you $20 or more a week.
How to travel in Sydney for less than $20 a week with an Opal card?
TimApple on 21/11/2014 - 12:03
Related Stores
Comments
- 1
- 2
If you don't come back to the same station, you don't get the 60 min limit.
So for example if you go to A -> B then B -> C, you'll get 60 min limit between the first trip and the second.
But if you go from A -> B and then A -> B, the limit is not there.
Hmm interesting… so essentially at lunch I should Central <-> Town Hall… multiples time…
Could be an interesting meet up group :D (lunch time opalers)
In the city, I think Town Hall -> Wynyard is closer ;)
Someone just told me that City circle doesn't work :(
@Nobita: Yep, city circle doesn't work. Redfern is OK though, so I think that means you can do Redfern to Central for this trick?
@erwinsie: Google maps says 1.3km… 10-15 mins walk… faster if you run it. We are all out of shape from sitting at our computers looking at OzB all the time :)
On T4, Eastern Suburbs line, I get 900m b/w
- Banksia<>Rockdale +
- Carlton<>Allawah
<skip 7-9am and 4-6.30pm weekdays>
If you run
4min kms it's a24min workout(5.4k). Will be alright I think, as these are outside of town.
Between 2 adjacent stops, a Bus trip is cheaper than a train trip.
Remember: The bus needs to come to a total stand still and then tap the card, otherwise the GPS on the bus wouldn't register as the next stop.
how about A-> B, then C->A? no 60 mins limit?
removed
so does that count as 2x paid trips?
Somewhat related: really interesting link with lots of detail about Opal behaviour. I think the video is using the 2nd last trick - discontinuous transfer??
http://www.bus.org.au/index.php?title=Opal_Fare_Rules_Detail
"Weekly Travel Reward
Several methods of accruing journeys quickly can be used to reach the weekly reward as early in the week as possible:Lunchtime trips: For regular commuters without too much extra time to waste on Opal strategies, at least take an extra trip on a train or local bus during lunch. At a minimum, doing this on Monday and Tuesday will save Thursday's fares entirely (three journeys Monday-Tuesday, two on Wednesday). An additional lunchtime trip on Wednesday would also save the Wednesday night fare. This could result in significant savings if the regular commute is of higher value, requires multi-mode transfers, etc.
Eight short journeys: This can be used to pay only $15 for the weekly travel reward. As long as each trip is separated by 60 minutes, 8 single-trip bus journeys costing $2.10 each can be accrued on one day. The first 7 journeys will be charged at adult fares of 7 * $2.10 = $14.70. The final trip will be $0.30 due to the day cap, but will be the eighth paid journey. With trains, only 7 journeys can be accrued in one day; a final journey will be required the next day to reach the travel reward (total cost $17.31 if all trips are off-peak).
More than three transfers: Upon transferring within the same mode a fourth time (starting a fifth trip), the previous trips are finalised into a journey. This appears to correlate with the 8-transaction limit on the card. This can be used to start a new journey (and new fare) without waiting for the 60 minute transfer time to expire, but requires extensive travel. To use this method, complete 29 consecutive bus trips to reach in 8 journeys in a single day, for only a day cap fare of $15. The first 7 journeys require 4 trips each and will be charged at adult fares of 7 * $2.10 = $14.70. The final trip will be $0.30 due to the day cap, but will be the eighth paid journey. As with the previous entry, if this trick is used with trains, it will require two days as the minimum off peak fare is too high to reach 8 paid journeys before hitting the day cap.Discontinuous transfers: If you use an alternate method of transportation between two train stations (except in the City), and tap-on at a different station compared to where you just tapped off, you will incur a new fare and new journey count for the next trip. This can be used to accrue journeys much faster than other methods, if you pick the stations carefully. You could even use two cards with the second card as your alternate method of transport between stations. Either leave the second card tapped on, so it is a valid for your transport, or tap it on and off at alternate stations so that it also builds up journeys for use by someone else. Fourteen train trips (seven round trips between two stations) would accrue seven journeys on each card (each card would reach the daily cap). If you pick two closely-spaced stations without gates, you wouldn't need to actually ride the train - for example, complete the seven round trips on foot and you will not need a second card. Important note: this does not work in the City, as discontinuous transfers between City stations register as a transfer and through fare. The City includes Central, Kings Cross, and the CBD Stations (but notably not Redfern).
Ferry transfers Ferry transfers at wharves other than Circular Quay accrue an extra fare and extra journey count. Using this to accrue journeys is not likely to yield much savings, however, due to the high cost of ferries. The day cap will be reached after three trips/journeys."
after the minister see this video. they might consider put ban btw Erskville and Maccastown stations.
so not good if this is on youtube viral
Or they might just put Gates on some of these stations
Someone had already reported it to the transport head (whoever that is) and she had said "I want Sydney to use it as much as they can."
…. Looking for the article online.the person who report it could be brainless. she do nobody good doing this
they should just have two cards
do A - B on one
and B - A on anotherand continue 6 times each
two popular stations would work
might mean its a bit longer but saves running!Or have a bag of 50 Opal cards, and charge other people $5 for getting their Opal reward on Monday… Just an idea!
how about A->B then C->A ?
yep, but works only with A,b,c are all close
and not in the city
also helps that there are no gates too
how about btw running btw Harris Park and Parramatta
Granville and Clyde would be closer
Yeah they are pretty close. Probably the exercise would probably be good for ya.
We could be onto a business idea here…
Hand your card over in the morning, get it back before end of the day… have a runner do the running between stations for you (runner could do multiple cards at one time)
It could be a weekly subscription service
My idea for a courier service was this: a courier rides the trains all day and people enter the station to hand over or take the goods then exit by reversing the tap.
Please do it! The person who originally proposed this also had this idea.
If you charge $5 per person, then you do say 100 cards in 1 hour, that will be $500 weekly extra income in just about 1 hour. The problem is how do you collect the cards?
Not sure you could swipe 100 cards 6 times in 1 hour or not make it look sus… haha
As for collecting/returning cards, I would limit my scope to the CBD… you could organise a drop box system around the train stations… pay a local shop to host the box
Might be possible at some small station if nobody or no CCTV is watching. Problem is when the courier gets busted all those people with registered cards get busted too. Also you'd have to trust the courier not to do a runner with the cards.
@imcold: I bet the fine print says you can only swipe for yourself. There is no legit reason for you to be swiping more than one card. Excluding things like swiping your kid's card. But please test it and let us know how you go. ;)
@mickotron: Repeat after me: The men in the white suits are my friends. The men in the white suits are my friends. I will go with them quietly.
:)
business idea - one hour fitness program every Monday morning $20 while getting your free opal travel for rest of the week
Well they know about it now, so what pay the $20? But clever though.
Wonder if Opal will fix the loophole.
they might
This trick works well if you live near stations that are really close by tp each other and can tap on without going through the gates. For a lot of people this isn't really feasible. I wrote a piece on all the opal hacks I know and which almost anyone can utilise to save money (not necessarily down to less than $20)
http://smarterwithmoney.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/opal-hacks-s…
Nice buddy system, mate. I use the normal legal means to reduce costs: Travel off peak. Use the 60 minutes window to run an errand and also notch up one more trip. Go wild on the Sunday $2.50 cap, e.g. Manly ferry excursion.
It's amusing seeing the people waiting outside the gates just before 6:30 pm.
So if was 628 or 629, you wouldn't bother waiting to save 30% ?
Did I say that I didn't wait until 6:30 pm? ;P
I bet a lot of people plan for it like I do. I even know the time of the first train north after. But I don't make big changes to my schedule to save 99c. You shouldn't think of it as just 30%, that obscures the true cost of your time.
With the lunch buddy system you don't have to wait 60 minutes. As highlighted earlier on, if you start the next journey from a different station than the one you last tapped on from the 60 minute window is irrelevant
Furthermore, knowing this you can accomplish more than two journey per lunch time with a lunch buddy. In fact there's a pair of colleagues in my office who rack up five journeys at lunch time between the two of them and hit journey 8 on their Tuesday morning commute
Sadly, not possible in in the city circle. The 'disjointed' journey only works for stations outside of the city. That's quite an impressive effort, fitting in 5 trips all within the space of 1 lunch time - presumedly 1 hour long
Good advice on how it's helping with exercise. This year, with the Global Corporate Challenge (10k steps/day) and the introduction of Opal, I've found I've done much more walking and travelling during working hours.
This is honestly a good motivation for those of us who are too lazy to do some exercise.
Save your health, and save your money!
This exactly is what the government wants…to encourage public transport usage. Just maybe not the way they intended.
I wouldn't congratulate yourself on that, planners understand these things, Sydney is a latecomer to decent ticketing systems. If people get more exercise and use the health system less, that's a good thing.
What about taking a bus from A to B?
I just grew old so I can travel all day for $2.50. Of course you may have to wait a while for this solution ;)
It is a good deal… but I would rather be young again and pay full fare.
Being old and heading downhill is no fun. :-) :-)
I am so confused by the opal system. As a student I believe I'll use it next year.
Can anyone help with my likely costs and ways to make cheaper?
Travel is on ferry to circular quay then train to Blacktown. Then the same back.
I'm used to paying $31.50/ week for a weekly and Worry that this will cost me more. Assume that the ferry is $2.60 and train about $3 makes it about $10/day for four days (8 trips).
Does that sound right?
key is lunch time trip if you want save big money. if you go 1 or 2 station it a trip and add to daily total. wed night if lunch trip mon tue and wed your into free trips.
Thanks for the reply.
Damn no option of lunch time travel for me :(
Macdonaldtown to Newtown is only 850m apart. A fast runner can outrun the train.
But the train stops at McDtown something like only once a year. :)
The Opal card system seems to work so well. Now if only Myki works anywhere as good as the opal system…
Just spent 4 days in Sydney using Opal. Myki has a long way to go to be as efficient. Tap On/Off times are almost instantaneous, unlike Myki. Queensland's system is also better than Myki. Plus, both systems still allow tourists to buy tickets. I pity those tourists who visit Melbourne and have to fork out $6 for a Myki and then have to add funds to travel.
Yeah I'm one of those disgruntled tourists to Melb. Have two Mykis sitting in my drawer. :(
Ye, I went to Gold Coast recently and used public transport to get around. It just works sooo well in comparison to Myki.
To think about how much money they spent on this pile of crap. It is infuriating.
Best perk by far is today, Sunday rate … All persons qualify, one Eighth of this cost, & so speedily obtained.
Likewise, $20pw feels very much like we're all getting Fair Value. Held to one third of that carbon-footprint, say of 1 fuel tank per week($60.oo) and it's a good fit. :-)
This was posted on Reddit quite a while ago; but good on you for making a video tutorial.
Have you guys seen an activity 'top up' with negative amount?
There are two activities on my card one with -$4.50 and the other one is -$2.10. My trips on that day appear in a separate line.
Hey goms, I have one too! The day it happened I did a real top up, then caught the bus (lunchtime), I apparently didn't tap off so was charged the default rate :(, this trip where I didn't tap off was supposed to be trip number 7 and now I notice that no trip 7 exists but there is a trip 0 for some reason. Do you have any trips where the money was refunded that balances the figures out?
Caught a bus, charged default -$3.50
Line that says Top Up -$3.10
Caught another bus (refunded) $2.40When I calculate that it's -$4.20 so two normal bus trips…
Hmm I didn't do a top up on the day.
Here is the activity:
* 7:34 | top up | -$4.50
* 7:34 | bus | -$2.10
* 14:38 | bus (back home) | -$2.10
Yes they are using topups with negative amounts to adjust fares when there was no tap on or tap off recorded so that it matches the balance on your card.
But I've got the no tap on with -$8.10 separately on the other week (There is no no tap on or tap off in that week). The operator could not explain it and said that it will fix itself up last week but it's still there now.
8.10 sounds like a default train fare. As far as I know there are no problems with train (or ferry) readers
It's a bit hard for me to work out without your full weekly statement but u believe if you add up all the charges and top ups it should give the correct amount
@uggugg: Yeah, what I'm trying to say is the top up -$4.50 is not supposed to be there, it's not an adjustment for no top on or no tap off.
I've had bus journeys that didn't register both tap on and tap off - hence no entry shows up on the online statement. But you can tell a journey took place due to the journey number jumping by one from the previous journey to the next journey.
$4.50 is a Bus 3 fare, I'll bet my bottom dollar that this is what it is adjusting - there was a Bus 3 journey you took that didn't register tap on or tap off.
Funny thing is that I can guarantee I didn't take 2 buses in that morning unless the time is not accurate.
- 7:34 | top up | -$4.50
- 7:34 | bus | -$2.10
7:34 is the time of your tap on for the morning bus, and is also the trigger for the top up to occur. It is an adjustment for the last journey prior to the 7:34 bus. Do you remember what they journey was meant to be? Does it show up on your Opal statements?
It really is all moot though, the value stored on the card is the one that really counts. If you've tapped on/off correctly, then the figure on your card is the right one, and all the adjustments they're making on the online statements are so they match what's on your card.
Hmm, I travelled by train on Monday and Tuesday. This happened on Wednesday. And if you were right that $4.50 look like a bus 3 fare, then it cannot be an adjustment on that week because I didn't use bus prior to Wednesday morning at 7:34. The adjustment could've been for the previous weeks, but I still can't see this could be the case.
Anyway, thanks for your comments. I will pay more attention next time and hopefully this does not happen.
Also, do you know if the adjustments can be made 3 times, is that for a year and reset at the beginning of the year?
Thanks
Any idea if this discontinuous transfers work on buses?
No they don't but there's been a user documented fact that after every 4th trip on a bus the next trip counts as a new journey
So
Trips 1, 2, 3, 4 = Journey 1
Trips 5, 6, 7, 8 = Journey 2etc.
Works well between Canley Vale & Cabramatta stations!
Going to give it a go later today, on my day off. Let's see if I get weird looks from the station master.
Will be attempting it between Wiley Park and Lakemba stations on my bike; was contemplating the walk but figured that it'll be a good 6 km altogether on a hot day. It's a good reason for a bit of exercise and weekly saving.
Alright, I can confirm that the 60 minute limit does not apply when you tap on at a different station from the one you last tapped on from.
I made an amateur mistake today though and tapped on during peak hour in the afternoon. Waited until 6:30PM and did the remaining trips.
Can't say that I'll do this on a regular basis but it's good to see what can be done.
Myself though, I think the best scenario is to do the lunchtime bus trip to offset the peak hour train trips I do in the evening.
does this only work because these two station are on different lines?
or would it work if I pick any two stations near my house and run between each other 12 times.
The 2nd option will work. As long as it is not in the city circle
Does anyone know if Granville has opal card readers with no gates?
Gates only. I assume you plan on going between Granville and Clyde stations to get more journeys quickly? Just tap on, but don't walk through. Then walk to Clyde, tap off, then back again.
Does anyone know if this would work- Stand on the bus and keep taping on and off at every stop without getting off ?
No. It'll just count it as transfers and therefore one journey. There needs to be an hour gap between bus trips for it to count as a new journey. Also, you'll probably peeve off the bus driver because you can only tap on at the front of the bus.
Quick question, after you reach the daily cap ($15), would the subseqent, free trips count towards your 8/week journeys?
Nope- otherwise it'd be way too easy. Best to do quick stops during non-peak so you can get more journeys in a day for less.
So if I get up to $15.13 on my last trip for that day, that won't be counted as a journey? Time to go back to the drawing board.
The final trip that reached the $15 cap will be counted, but the 13 cents will be discounted and any other trips after will not be counted as journeys.
just saw this on smh too
I laughed when see this:
"It all began when the New South Wales Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian dared Sydneysiders to try and hack the system.
Strathfield to Homebush is only 950m. Would this trick work or is it not possible cos of the gates at strathfield?
You can tap on at Strathfield, just don't walk through the gates.
Haha saw some guy in a suit wearing a nsw transport tag around his neck tap on at canley vale and drove off.
Spent another $10 on gas doing it
could someone please explain to me, so like if I tap on at Granville gate, get into the train then tap off at Clyde, walk back to Granville and repeat the process, wouldn't that be faster this way by catching the train? why would you walk between two stations without get into the train?
You can very easily catch the train, just can't do it on the return trip otherwise it counts it as a transfer rather than a new journey. Also, trains between Granville and Clyde are not frequent, so you'll spend more time waiting around for a train than you will walking or cycling between the two. You'll probably only get two trains an hour going to Clyde, while in that same duration you can get 4 trips by walking.
thanks, that's what I thought, that mean this hack works on opal gate as well, just a bit awkward if you don't get in.
This is a great hack, if you're riding a bike you could get this done alot quicker, for me the best place to do this hack is between cabramatta and canley vale station, 1km distance between each other. It would take me three minutes to get to one station from another on a bike (at this point it would be eaiser just to ride between the stations) so a round trip is 6 minutes (on a bike both ways) so you could get to 8 trips in just under 50 minutes. As stated above with trains you can only fit in 7 paid rides in one day due to the $15 cap per day so it would take you two days to get your free travel.
- 1
- 2
How did you avoid the 60mins limit?