Transport for NSW has announced plans to pilot a new digital version of its Opal transit card that will enable cardholders to “pay for all modes of transport — whether it be light rail, a bus, on demand service, taxi or Uber — with a single tap of their phone.”

“Thousands of transport customers will trial a new Digital Opal card that will allow them to tap on and off the Opal network using a digital card on their smart phone or device,” Transport for NSW says.

“The Digital Opal card will sit in the customer’s Apple or Android digital wallet and customers will pay as they travel. The customer will nominate the Digital Opal card as their primary payment card so the fare is always billed to that nominated card.”

The new card will be linked to Opal Connect, the single mobility payments platform launched by Transport for NSW in October that is designed to become “a one stop shop for all transport transactions and information, whether it is public transport, rideshare, taxis, parking and even tolling”.

“The Digital Opal card is all about making mobility easier,” Transport for NSW says. “Making it easier for our customers to leave their car at home, and choose a combination of private and public transport to get from A to B.”

“Seamless, customer focused Opal transport is the way of the future.”

The move to develop a digital version of Sydney’s transit card comes just three months after Transport for NSW announced it had completed the rollout of open loop ticketing across its network. The September 2019 announcement means that passengers can now use Mastercard, Visa or American Express to make a contactless card, mobile or wearable payment on any service that accepts Opal.

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