Round $110 million is sitting on misplaced or dormant grownup Opal playing cards, with nearly 20 million of them going unused for a 12 months or extra.
COVID-19 has had a large impression on public transport use with providers nonetheless operating on decreased timetables.
And a few of these nonetheless taking public transport have switched to different fee strategies resembling sensible watches or bank cards.
However 9News can reveal the sum of money sitting in Transport for NSW's account has ballooned within the final two years.
Two years in the past, nearly 12.4 million playing cards price round $65 million had gone unused for 12 months or extra.
Information supplied by Transport NSW reveals that quantity has swelled now to 19.9 million grownup playing cards holding $110 million.
Round 1.8 million grownup Opal playing cards have not been used for between six and 12 months.
These playing cards have a mixed worth of $15 million.
Transport for NSW mentioned COVID-19 has impacted mobility throughout Sydney leading to decreased journey on the general public transport community however even earlier than the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of playing cards had been dormant.
Individuals who use contactless funds pay the identical fares as these with an Opal card and nonetheless entry the identical caps, switch reductions and off-peak fares.
"Clients have the choice of requesting both a refund of the Opal stability on their reloadable Opal Card or, if the Opal card is registered, transferring the stability to a different Opal card," a division spokesperson mentioned.
"Transport for NSW encourages clients to register their Opal card so their stability is protected, even when their card is misplaced or stolen."
Although you might have the choices, no refunds or stability transfers are given for unregistered Opal playing cards which can be misplaced or stolen.
To acquire a refund, the Opal card needs to be defective, broken, undesirable, or any related entitlement to concession journey has expired.
The total stability should be refunded at one time to an Australian checking account or by cheque to an Australian handle. Quantities below $5 is not going to be refunded by cheque.
A type should first be downloaded, crammed in and posted again with the bodily Opal card – except it was misplaced or stolen and occurred to be registered.
For the sake of some dollars, some may even see the method as burdensome.
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Lewis Clark, Transport for NSW government director buyer techniques and operations, mentioned as clients come again to travelling, balances will return too a extra regular degree and with the transfer in the direction of contactless funds, there could also be fewer Opal playing cards in circulation down the observe.
Are you able to park in an electrical automotive recharging spot?
He dominated out refunding clients in the same strategy to e-tag holders had been refunded deposits final 12 months saying it will be too troublesome to comply with.