Public transport commuters using a ticketing system as old as the BlackBerry and Blu-Ray player are set to benefit from sweeping technology upgrades.
Online accounts that can locate buses in real time and see a live passenger count are set to be some perks from the NSW government’s $800 million boost to the system.
Other upgrades include real-time information about fare deductions and receiving automatic compensations through a digital-based account.
The new system is set to address the phantom bus issue burdening the state’s most popular mode of transport, NSW Premier Chris Minns told reporters.
“We’ve heard repeatedly about phantom buses on the network, an app that seemed to indicate a bus was on its way, but it never arrived,” he said.
“This latest Opal upgrade will mean those buses arrive (and) you’ll know exactly where they are.”
Sixty per cent of public transport users in NSW currently pay by credit card, but NSW Transport Secretary Josh Murray said all existing forms of payment would remain.
He said the current Opal card system was 30 years old and mirrored off London’s Oyster card.
“Just like the BlackBerry or the Blu-Ray player, which were invented at the same time, they’ve done their job,” Mr Murray said.
“It’s time to move on.”
The upgraded system will be built by Init, a German technology company, and address ongoing security issues, Transport Minister John Graham said.
“This system will be far better placed to deal with the sort of security challenges that any government, any society, has to think about,” he said.
The changes are set to begin from the middle of next year and be fully operational by 2028.