Rousse Hill to Cheshi Live City Rail is expected to be operational this month. (photo of Sydney Morning Herald)
The new state independent price regulator, (IPART), is considering reforms to the bus (Opal) ticketing system over the next four years, including possibly adjusting peak fares to spread the burden on the rail network and reduce passenger congestion.
Given that peak hours are usually limited to one direction, IPART is considering whether there should be restrictions on peak fares, such as early peak hours to Sydney's CBD, or late peak departures from CBD.
Another option would be to limit the peak fares for specific sites with serious congestion problems, such as the (Town Hall), Wynyad (Wynyard) and central (Central) train stations at City Hall.
The rush hour in train is between 7: 00 a.m. and 9: 00 a.m. in New York. From 4 p. M. to 06:30, off-peak fares are now 30% cheaper than peak ones. The IPART is also thought to be considering extending the fixed-time pricing system to buses, ferries and light rail.
IPART also considered whether the prices of the light rail and urban rail (Metro) should be different in other modes of transportation when examining the ticket price of the Australian treasure card between 2020 and 2024.
The expensive (Metro Northwest), which runs from (Rouse Hill) to (Chatswood), will open this month, at the same time as the existing train fare.
Speaker McKay (Jodi McKay), transport affairs for the New State Labour Party, said she was worried that if the rail and light rail systems were different from those of train for a long time, the government would eventually privatize them all.
Transportation director Constance (Andrew Constance) 's speaker said that while IPART will make recommendations on fares, it is government that will make the final decision. The speaker also stressed that government's position has always been that CTR fares will be the same as existing train fares, while light rail fares will continue to be consistent with bus fares.
Other options considered by the IPART are how to calculate fares according to different travel distances, including the classification of fares and the capping of charges. It is also studying whether the existing 2-yuan discount should be increased or reduced when passengers use more than one bus vehicle on a single trip.
There is also the potential to offer the same discount to passengers who use credit cards or mobile phones for contactless fare payments as those who use the Aobarat card.
IPART will release a draft proposal for a fee adjustment for the Australian card in November and submit its final proposal to the state's government in February.
Fees for Australian cards rose 2.2% in July last year, but the A $2.5-a-day fare for seniors remained unchanged. New state government stressed at the time, the rise and inflation has been.
In 2016, the IPART called on the state government to raise its ticket prices by 4.2 percent a year for three years in order to better cover bus costs.