Stuart Ayres MP, Member for Penrith today welcomed the news that following the recent launch of the new Gold Senior/Pensioner card, seniors and pensioners will have the opportunity to visit the Opal Kiosk at Penrith Westfield to order their own Gold Opal card.
The Opal information kiosk will be located at Penrith Westfield from 25-28 November to assist those wanting a card. The kiosk will operate Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9.00am to 4.00pm and Thursday from 9.00am to 8.00pm
“The launch of the brand new Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card marks another major milestone in the Opal rollout,” said Stuart Ayres.
“I’m pleased seniors and pensioners in our community can now obtain their own Opal card if they would like to,” Stuart Ayres said.
“It is really important the community knows that seniors and pensioners can still buy and use their Pensioner Excursion Tickets (PET) if they don’t want to use the Gold Opal card.
“The choice is yours, and the NSW Government wants you to have that choice.
“The new Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card means eligible customers won’t pay more than $2.50 a day for travel, so you can travel around our community or take a trip outside the region, and know that you won’t pay anything more than that.
“The other important benefit is the convenience of never having to queue for a paper ticket or fumble for coins again. You only need to get your Opal card once, and then you can keep it in your wallet or purse. It is yours to keep forever.”
“The NSW Government has been very clear, and I’d like to re-iterate our strong message. Let me assure everyone that the Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card is not compulsory, and rest assured that the paper Pensioner Excursion Ticket will continue to be available into the future.”
Stuart Ayres said getting an Opal card is easy.
To order a Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card customers can call 13 67 25 (13 OPAL) or visit the Opal website at www.opal.com.au – it takes only minutes to apply, and then in about one week the card will be mailed out to the customer’s home.
The Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card is available for NSW Seniors, Pensioner Concession card holders and NSW War Widows. Customers only need to get the Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card once, and the card itself does not cost anything.
Once customers have their card, they can manually top up the Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal with cash if they want to. More than 1,400 Opal retail stores can be found via an easy-to-use map at www.retailers.opal.com.au or by calling the Opal Customer Care line.
The benefits of the Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card include:
· Fares are capped at no more than $2.50 a day
· Customers can spend even less than $2.50 on many journeys with Opal
· Never visit a shop or ticket office again to buy a paper ticket
· No more fumbling for coins and rushing as your train or bus is approaching
· Top up the card’s value with a minimum $2.50 cash at one of the more than 1,400 Opal retailers
· A customer doesn’t have to worry if they lose their card – simply cancel the card and their balance will be transferred to a new card and mailed out to them
· Set the Opal card to auto-top up, just like having an e-tag in your pocket
· Customers who travel more than 8 paid journeys in a week will get free trips after that for the rest of the week, like any other Opal customer.
