Public transportation users in Sydney, Australia, are now using their contactless debit card, credit card or linked device to make 1.5m journeys a week, Transport for NSW has revealed.

More than 30m journeys have now been made in total since contactless payments were first piloted in 2017.

While new payment options are growing in popularity among commuters, there is still demand for pre-loaded Opal cards, says Paul Toole, Acting Minister for Transport and Roads.

“The NSW Government is powering ahead with more innovative payment options for those using our Opal network as people continue to move away from cash, and even more recently, cards,” he explained.

“We know digital wallets are becoming more common, so being able to pay a fare with a mobile phone or smart watch is just another added convenience for commuters.

“Rolling out contactless payments is an Australian-first innovation and is one of the biggest advancements in ticketing technology in generations.”

“It’s easier than ever to pay for public transport, and through our innovative payment platforms we’re aiming to create more digital products, including the digital Opal card, which we plan to roll out in a trial phase in 2020,” he added.

“This follows the activation of contactless payments on all public transport modes on the Opal network, and introducing the same fare and travel benefits of an Adult Opal card last year.”

The plan to pilot a digital Opal transit card was first revealed earlier this month.

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

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