Sydney Trains industrial action: 400k commuters refuse to tap on, avoid public transport during strike
Hundred of thousands of commuters across NSW are refusing to tap on — or avoiding public transport completely — as ongoing industrial action brings heavy delays. See the hotspots here.
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Hundred of thousands of commuters have refused to tap on — or avoided public transport entirely — during ongoing industrial action engulfing the Sydney Trains network, as NSW Police target people walking through ticket gates without paying.
New data, obtained by NewsLocal, have revealed an estimated 400,300 passengers have not tapped on throughout industrial action this week, as Rail, Tram and Bus Union representatives call on commuters to avoid paying for public transport during strike action.
Commuters were met with open gates and cancelled services at public transport hubs across the state last week, with action expected to continue until the end of the month.
On August 19, an estimated 92,600 commuters were missing from tap-off data from stations across the state, with around 28,000 less patrons tapping off at CBD hubs, compared to the week prior.
However, commuters were also met with a barrage of NSW Police officers at several Western Sydney stations this week, who were tasked with handing out fines to public transport users not tapping on and off at open ticketing gates.
Overall, over 91 per cent of Sydney Trains passengers continued to tap on and off during the first week of the industrial action.
The state’s highest continuing rate of Opal card use was at Parramatta station, where 95 per cent of passengers continued to tap off compared to the week prior.
Meanwhile, Chatswood station has seen a 13 per cent drop, while Macquarie Park saw a 12 per cent decline during the same period.
In the Sydney CBD, there has been a 12 per cent drop in the number of passengers tapping off.
High school student Adison Summers said his school card meant she got discounted fares.
The 18-year-old told NewsLocal she would continue to tap on because she didn’t want officers to “harrass” him at ticket booths.
“I didn’t really read about the strikes that much,” he said. “I understand that they’re doing it because they’re not getting something. “
Noor Bazzi, 18, said she would continue to tap on “regardless”.
“I am aware that industrial action is going on, but I’m not sure why it is happening.”
Shadow Transport spokeswoman, Jo Haylen, said the rail dispute between the union and the NSW Government has “gone on for too long”.
“We want more people using public transport and we don’t want to see patronage on the train network decline,” she said. “A 12 per cent drop in patronage on the network means passengers aren’t happy and are voting with their feet.
“It also means more cars on the road, crowded buses and less revenue to support the network.”
Ms Haylen said passengers across Sydney were sick of the stand off between the NSW Government and RTBU.
“The Premier needs to get involved and help to resolve it so we can get passengers back on the train network again.”
Police Transport and Public Safety Commander Steve Hegarty said officers provided “a highly visible presence across the state’s public transport network” everyday.
“Their role is to detect, respond, attend, investigate and prosecute crimes which occur on or near the transport network,” he said. “In addition to supporting local police in protecting the community, the PTC runs regular intelligence-based operations to target crime hot spots across the network.”
The Transport Minister’s office was contacted for comment.
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