An Irish expat has only just realised the true cost of public transport in Sydney after months of believing her journeys cost $1.
Rebecca, a lawyer who moved to the city at the end of last year, has been using her bank card to tap on and off buses, trams and train, but until recently she had no idea she was being charged more than the initial pre-authorisation fee.
The expat thought the $1 payment her bank card registered every time she tapped on was the sum total of each journey and had no idea a higher amount was taken at a later day.
‘Guys help I’ve been living in Sydney for seven months and just realised public transport isn’t just $1 every time I tap,’ she said on TikTok.
‘Is this common knowledge? Am I actually dumb?’
Rebecca isn’t the only one who made this mistake. Fellow Irish expat Isabel shared that she recently had the same realisation in her own separate video.
‘Five months spent thinking my commute only cost $1 each time…,’ she wrote.
The Irish expect shared a screenshot of her monthly spending on transport, showing she has spent $313.39 in June as of Wednesday.
Laywer Rebecca (pictured) had no idea how much she was paying for public transport while commuting in Sydney
Sydney residents agreed with the pair, sharing their thoughts on the pre-authorisation fee.
‘I’ve been here for two years nearly and have just found out recently about it,’ one said.
‘Tell me you don’t check your bank statements, without telling me you don’t check them.’
‘I never look to see how much it costs. Out of sight, out of mind,’ another agreed.
‘It’s taken me years to figure that out. I don’t take public transport much though,’ a third said.
‘No one tells you it’s not $1. I thought it was $1. Why don’t they advertise it or something,’ another commented.
However, one viewer was surprised Rebecca didn’t check her bank statements regularly to keep an eye on unauthorised transactions.
Irish expat Isabel (pictured) was shocked to discover she has spent $313.39 on transport in June despite believing each journey was $1
They wrote: ‘Do you not check your bank statements or have the app notify you when money is taken out? I’m so nervous about fraud charges that I see every cent that leaves my account!’
The Irish expat said she ‘rarely’ checked her banking app.
NSW Transport confirmed the $1 charge is temporary.
‘After you tap on, a pre-authorisation amount of $1 is held temporarily. This will appear as a pending transaction on your statement,’ it reads online.
‘As you travel throughout the day, fares accumulate, and the total cost will be processed at the end of the day, replacing the $1 pre-authorisation.’
Opal fares and single trip tickets will rise by an average of 2.5 per cent from July 14.
For adults, Monday to Thursday will have a cap of $19.30 while there will be a daily cap of $9.65 on Fridays, the weekend and public holidays.
The daily cap for children will be $9.65, with weekends and public holidays have a cap of $4.80.
