Opal Card - Frequent Incorrect Fares on Sydney Buses

Tigi on 25/12/2014 - 18:51
Last edited 27/12/2014 - 23:52 by 1 other user

I personally like Opal cards and think that the weekly cap and the $2.50 Sunday cap is a great incentive for people to get on public transport instead of driving. I usually catch the bus daily and trains/ferry weekly and what I have noticed is that there is a lot of pricing inaccuracy on bus trips, but not train/ferry trips (for buses usually 1 in 10 trips is inaccurate).

Some of the errors are:
- While tapping off the machine shows correct fare but when checking in the system it shows a no tap off and was charged the default (max) fare
- Tapping on location is incorrect, so I get overcharged (logging into the system it shows one bus stop before mine)

I know there's been a discussion on SMH, etc on software problems but I'd like to know if this is as common or just in my bus route. By the way they do refund it when I email them.

So do you notice pricing inaccuracies, fellow Ozbargainers?

Poll Options

• 4
  Yes - about 1 in less than 10 bus trips
• 5
  Yes - about 1 in 10 bus trips
• 3
  Yes - about 1 in more than 10 bus trips
• 4
  No - never check or don't know
• 4
  Don't catch a bus or catch one but not with an Opal card
• 2
  No - never inaccurate

Related Stores

Opal Card - NSW Government

• 

  retiredfeline on 25/12/2014 - 19:24

  Your poll is missing the option No, I've checked. So far so lucky for me.

  • 

    Tigi on 25/12/2014 - 19:39

    Oh yeah that's right can't update it after it started :(

    • 

      Dennis3003 on 26/12/2014 - 13:42

      You can get a mod to edit it for you.

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  BobbyJ on 25/12/2014 - 19:28

  If you call 13 OPAL and explain the situation to them, you should be able to get charged the correct fare. Make sure you do this on the same day, I don't think it would be very convincing the next day.

• 

  FiDad on 25/12/2014 - 19:46

  I take 4-5 bus trips every week Mon & Tue to get my weekly cost down between two bus stops about 200m from each other and I have noticed errors with big red buses for some weird reason but no issues at all with normal blue buses.

  • 

    sagrules on 26/12/2014 - 21:18

    I catch the blue buses daily and have been overcharged once so far - but have only recently started using Opal

• 

  djones145 on 25/12/2014 - 21:33

  yeah I find when the stops are too close or too quick I don't get charged at all, which sucks cause I'm trying to get the 8 trips in a day

  haven't been charged extra though on trains sometimes it doesn't register that I have tapped off, but I call them

  I tend to check a lot these days

  • 

    leonheart1 on 26/12/2014 - 21:32

    That's not an error. Source: https://www.opal.com.au/en/fares-and-benefits/trip_journey_a…

    Transfers made within a standard transfer time of 60 minutes combine trips into a single journey.

    It's so people can't get their 8 trips first thing on Monday (unless you want to do something like this: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/170924).

    • 

      djones145 on 26/12/2014 - 21:57

      nah I make quick trips at lunch
      however sometimes if the trip is too close (wynard station to ASX, is one corner), or if its too fast and the driver hasn't activated the opal, u don't get charged (says its a reversal tap on)

      • 

        leonheart1 on 26/12/2014 - 23:34

        My bad, thought you meant the time restriction.

        Unless you prefer calling, why not just send a message through their site? I asked for a refund for a screw up and they refunded in a day or two.

      • 

        djones145 on 27/12/2014 - 06:48

        @leonheart1:
        too lazy, I am gaming the system by taking short rides to get my 8 trips! lolz

• 

  Glittergirl on 25/12/2014 - 22:19

  I have chosen the option 'about 1 in 10 trips' but it really varies… It seems to be ok at the moment. I have had a lot of problems with everything you mentioned; one week I called them six times. I have had mixed succes when I have emailed them; the second time they didnt respond, then after a follow up email they sent a very rude response pretty much saying 'the machine is always right' no refunds for you, when it clearly was not. I have found their email response time has greatly reduced over the last few weeks, and I put this partly down to the entire bus system now being opal enabled and people having lots of problems and contacting them. I did read in SMH recently that compaints were up 1000% this year(or something similar). The main reason why I havent complained a lot more is because I do get a great deal of benefit from the 'travel reward' system —For example, despite the machines 'always being right' it incorrectly seems to have given me a free trip this week so that I reached my reward by the end of Wednesday. Bonus. Btw: i used to have a lot of 'top ups' in my bus activity online, which I interpret as 'we screwed up on the bus machine reading and we don't really know where you got on, or off, but we are going to charge you anyway'… These top ups littered through my transaction history had disappeared from my most recent activity statement making it hard for me to ring and complain about individual incorrect transactions that no longer appear. End rant.

  In summary: yes I do notice many inaccuracies

• 

  derpdeder on 26/12/2014 - 09:29

  +2

  All the time - I think there is something inherently wrong with the bus Opal system as I never have the same problems on the train or ferry.

  Locations such as Unknown and Circular Quay (in spite never having been there) litter my Opal statement, as well as No Tap Offs when the reader has clearly registered a fare when I tapped off. There is also the Top Ups where they just charge a fee randomly without a start or end point.

  I think they know there is a serious problem as the default fares count as a trip towards the travel reward whereas it doesn't for train or ferry. They are just counting on people not being bothered to claim the difference between the $4.50 default and their actual fare. I complain every time, either through email or phone and would encourage everyone else to so they get a full indication of how many errors the system actually makes.

  And as Glittergirl alluded to, the Opal staff members on email (and phone) love to argue with you. They must have KPIs that are based on not discounting the fare to its proper amount.

  • 

    sagrules on 26/12/2014 - 21:23

    I have emailed them 2 weeks ago with no response

    • 

      Glittergirl on 26/12/2014 - 23:22

      Today I received a reply (and refund - yay) for an email I sent on 11 December. Your's might still be coming…

    • 

      derpdeder on 27/12/2014 - 06:17

      Response to emails seems to be about 2 weeks, has been getting longer recently. Hold time on the phone is about 30 minutes.

      In a system where the default is to charge you the full fare if there is an error, these waiting times are not acceptable.

• 

  Dennis3003 on 26/12/2014 - 13:44

  There should be a option for other public transport - imo

• 

  Tigi on 27/12/2014 - 22:44

  Update : I got overcharged about 3 times in the past 2 weeks and emailed them, the response I got was "our GPS is always right" and the past adjustments (about 6 over the past 3 months) was done out of their goodwill. I used to be a defender of the Opal on how it encourages people to public with the easy fare and simplicity, but now I'm doubting them knowing that a) even if you tap off and see the normal fare charged, you might be charged the maximum fare when the statements hit OR b) that their GPS system is worse than my car's GPS from 6 years ago <end rant>.

  As this is the weekend, I emailed them thank their response and to explained politely that it makes no sense for me to backtrack and catch the bus stop further away from where I worked. I offered to send in proof of employment location and asked if they are interested in conducting a survey where their travel inspectors can ride the bus home with me for a week and I can show then the erroneous way of their "it's-never-wrong GPS".

  I have no illusion that my message will get responded to but last resort will be to call them to explain all this.

  Please people if you are noticing the crappy GPS system recording incorrect locations and overcharging you please raise this with them - I know it is only a small amount only, but I get worked up on the principle of it!

  • 

    retiredfeline on 27/12/2014 - 23:20

    +1

    Other possibilities to get attention:

    Just maybe you could interest a journo in doing a story about it?

    A petition page for an investigation into Opal GPS accuracy?

    Set up a FB page or website where people can post their authenticated discrepancies, e.g. with pictures of usage logs, and get enough publicity for an investigation into the GPS unreliability. An #opalgpsfail if you like.

    • 

      Tigi on 27/12/2014 - 23:39

      Hi greenpossum - these are great ideas. I like the idea of that people can snap an authenticated GSP location & time stamp - just before they board the bus in case of a dispute. You get me thinking of a Kickstarter project to an app…

• 

  Tigi on 27/12/2014 - 23:48

  Another update: 30 minutes after the email I sent on a weekend at 11 pm, I got a reply saying all three fares have been adjusted and wishing me a great new year.

  Either:
  - someone's working back late OR
  - someone up in the ministry is an avid Ozbargainer, if so, thank you Gladys Berejiklian

• 

  aubeachbum on 18/01/2015 - 01:12

  -On three occasions this week Opal was not working at all on three bus trips.

  -On two other occasions I have travelled by bus from North Willoughby to Lang Park near Wynyard.
  On both occasions I have tapped off at Lang Park (near Wynyard) but the system has me alighting at Small Street Willoughby or Garland Road Naremburn! Both three or four kilometres NORTH of The Bridge. No complaints though, I was charged $2.10 instead of $3.50 both times !!!!