Commuters across NSW could pay less for transport, in a last-minute election promise which will reduce the weekly Opal card cap by $10 for adults, and $5 for concession holders.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced that new limits will be set at $40 (from $50) for adults and $20 (from $25) for concession holders.
It’s estimated adult commuters could save about $480 per year, with a family of two adults and two children, saving $1360.
Mr Perrottet made the announcement on Sunday at the party’s Keep Western Sydney Moving Forward rally – joined by former Prime Minister John Howard.
If elected, the $68m policy will come into effects from May 1 and run until June 30.
Residents in Sydney’s West and Greater Sydney are expected to benefit the most, with suburbs like Penrith, Parramatta, East Hills and the Blue Mountains flagged.
Adults travelling by train from Penrith in Sydney’s west to the CBD can spend $7.24 each way, or $14.48 on a return trip. Under the new cap, commuters can make the $40 cap in six trips, instead of seven under the current cap.
Ferry commuters who pay $8.04 each way ($16.08 a day) can also reach the cap by their fifth trip, instead of the seventh.
The Liberal Party made their last appeal to party faithfuls, before voters head to the polls on March 25.
Held at Penrith’s Joan Sutherland Theatre, the venue hosted Labor’s Fresh Start rally merely a few weeks ago.
The Western Sydney electorate is a battle ground seat for both parties, sitting on a razor thin margin of 0.6 per cent.
The electorate is currently held by former Liberal MP Stuart Ayres on a 0.6 per cent margin, with former mayor Karen McKeown contesting the seat for Labor.
