Opal card - Sydney's own EZ-Link card or Octopus card. But the deployment shows what Australia can learn from Singapore, HK

Source: www.opal.com.au

Ok, Finally I see some effort and actual implementation of a simple store value card in Sydney public transportation.

I know, public transportation in Sydney is not comparable to what Singaporeans enjoy but it is great to skip horrendous parking charges in the city or if you are trying to beat the traffic during peak hour. I love it especially to go to the north sydney or towards the Central areas.

But what really surprised me is the 'planning' and the way NSW choose to sell the cards. First of all you need to register online and top-up with a credit card so it can be mailed to you. Then you need to go online and 'activate' the card.

Compared to Opal, lets look at our own EZ-Link card. I know people may compare with HK and

https://www.opal.com.au/en/about-opal/what-services-can-i-use-it-on/Train_stations_with_opal/

Sydney Public Transport

I am in Sydney for a couple of weeks and tried to take the public transport. I don't know why, but whenever I try other public transports my love towards our public transport back home started to go up.

Be it the cleanliness (I know we are not doing great these days), or convenience, or comfort we are way better.  The monthly pass or weekly pass is so damn mixed up you'd end up paying more for this by mixing up the zone system.

The journey time is bad too. Not because of the distance but because of frequency, speed and traffic jams. By the way, understand the Metro bus is 'high frequency' which runs average 15-20 min during peak hours :)

Some tips from my experience is to buy the two way ticket which is relatively cheap. Or they have a pass for tourists for a day with unlimited rides. Get it if you are sure to roam around the city. For longer periods, the myzone ticket is a good bet.

Of course I see the best part of Sydney public transport which is you can get a seat most of the times :)