Opal reservations

At present the only way to obtain one is to get one sent to your home, then the only way to "top it up" with credit is via the internet and a credit or debit card.

What about people in the community who are not computer literate, like some elderly people for example?

Nobody thinks about people like this in this world that is becoming too reliant on technology . . . and what about people who simply do not wish to own a credit or debit card?

Also the card is "topped up" with credit before it is posted to one's home.

What about the possibility of a card being stolen in the mail and then used by thieves (suddenly under somebody else's identity linked card), to get $40 worth of free travel?

I also feel it is an utter invasion of privacy.

Linking your personal details to the card like your name and address enables the public to be tracked.

Everywhere we go on public transport can be monitored. I don't want a train guard with a scanner (to scan and check recent journeys) to know my whereabouts and personal details — and does my name and address come up on their scanners?

Also the minimum amount to initially top-up a card is $40.

I'm sorry, but in this expensive city many people are struggling and may not have a spare $40 at their fingertips.

Paper tickets are to be axed by September 1. This is not very far away considering the many technical faults with Opal cards that I have read about from commuters, like forgetting to tap off and being charged double.

What about people who are poor and who just occasionally wish to to travel but can only scrape their last few coins together for a paper ticket?

I feel that the Opal card system is a way of making the public conform.

We will be watched like a giant herd of sheep, and I feel its an utter disgrace.

Jane Williams, Brighton-Le-Sands