Opal Travel 4+

One of the thing that the app was designed for, yet it is inaccurate. When I tapped on it displayed 35 on the tap on machine (which sounds about right), on the app it shows only 32. From even just the most recent top up, not including the previous balance before top up gave me at least 33 (manually calculated using a calculator). Yet the opal card has had it up to 32 something. This is no longer a matter of updating (no matter how you update (or lack of update) it shouldn’t end up at that value not to mention all past journeys had already shown up on the record). It is a matter of bad calculations and misleading information. This is not the first time it has happened, sometimes it is correct, sometimes it is not, the website which is probably where the app is based off has also the wrong value. And it has been for a quite couple of years. I never worried about it since I thought government surely can’t rip us off right? But after such a long time and still see it unfixed it is concerning. I beg you guys please check and see it fixed!! #concessionopal

The app has gotten way better than when first released. Initially I didn’t use it at all, because a third party app was better, but now it’s quite reasonable and can do most things I’m after (and it doesn’t require signing in every time I open the app - thank you!).
But this morning I was forced to upgrade the app as it would not allow me to open an out of date version of the app. “There must be something pretty important they’ve fixed,” I thought, because I haven’t seen this done in any other app I’ve ever used (apart from apps that can’t open when they have become incompatible with iOS updates). When I checked the App Store to download the update, the new version contains “minor UI updates”!? For something so trivial TfNSW are forcing me to download the update? Come on! For a major security flaw, that is fair enough and something other developers should actually look at implementing, but don’t lock me out of the app just because the new version looks slightly different. What if I was in a rush to catch a bus or train and trying to add credit to my Opal? Instead of ignoring the update so I could get to work on time, I’d need to update before doing anything and maybe miss the service I was after. If phone reception is bad that’d take even longer.
I think it’s a good thing you’ve worked out how to force users to update an app by not permitting an out of date app to be opened - but only use this power wisely and when really necessary. Please.

This is mostly a review for the public transport system. I always choose rail because buses are unreliable no matter where on earth you are. I have been on trains in Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and my home city Sydney. When I was in Brisbane I was on a train that was running late so it skipped a station. I only have been on maybe 5 Qld trains and probably 30 Sydney trains in my life and it has never happened in Sydney which proves Sydney PT is better than Brisbane PT. The trains and stations are clean and there is always a nearby station. Most subway systems are dirty and the trains are old and uncomfortable. But on a Sydney Train the seats are comfortable and the trains
are modern. The downsides are that trains are at my station less often due to the fact that I live in a very suburban area with not many shops, business, etc. Although when I am travelling on a train i notice that there are benefits to the train not stopping at every station. It gets me faster where I need to go. So they just need to have trains running more often. Not sure if opal is in charge of this or transport for nsw. Also at the train station, on the screen it may say 2 minutes until the next train, that then changes to 3 then to 2 then to 1 then to 4. This is not a big problem but overall Sydney PT is a very good system.