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The looming demise of paper tickets on buses and trains has some elderly Illawarra residents concerned.
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance announced last month that pensioner excursion tickets would be scrapped on January 1, 2016, along with 56 other paper tickets. The government is encouraging people to use the Opal electronic swipe card for all modes of public transport.
After January 1, the only paper tickets remaining will be single and return tickets.
Government figures show Premier Illawarra bus services are the worst for Opal use. In June, Opal journeys accounted for just 28 per cent of all trips, compared with a statewide average of 70 per cent.
For Dion's customers, 36 per cent of journeys were made using the Opal, while it was 50 per cent for Greens Northern Coaches.
Fifty per cent of South Coast rail users used Opal.
Koonawarra resident Ron Burton, 83, said he had seen the Opal card but knew nothing about it.
He catches the bus to Dapto Ribbonwood Centre three times a week. He buys $1.20 paper tickets, instead of the $2.50 pensioner excursion, which he uses for longer trips.
"If I'm going to be catching the bus, I guess I'll have to get one [Opal card]," he said.
CPSA Dapto Seniors honorary secretary Bruce Lloyd said pensioners had a number of problems with the Gold Opal card, including difficulties accessing it and payment methods.
"They don't like using credit cards. In Dapto, there's only about two or three places you can top them [the Opal] up," Mr Lloyd said.
"The other issue they've raised is you can never use all the money on the card. You've always got to have that $2.50 there or something."
If people didn't use the Opal for six weeks, the money was returned to their account and the card was "effectively useless again".
"A lot of pensioners might only use the bus or train once in a blue moon."
Transport for NSW is holding Gold Opal card information sessions for seniors groups and organisations. Call 9927 5455 or email opal@oohedge.com.au.
Gold Opal information kiosks will be held at Wollongong Central from September 8-11.