The pensioner excursion ticket will be among 57 more types of paper public transport tickets that will no longer be sold from the start of next year.
Passengers will need to buy an Opal card to continue to get discounts.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance said that given the ‘‘enormous success’’ of the Opal electronic system, it was time to take the next step towards having only one ticketing system.
Mr Constance said that from January 1 the only paper tickets remaining would be adult and concession single and return tickets for trains, ferries and light rail, and single tickets for buses.
He said the end of the pensioner excursion ticket would be a major change for many pensioners and seniors but there would be an intensive information campaign.
“We’ve had 370,000 pensioners and seniors sign up for the Gold Opal and there is another five months for others to get on board,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s the same cheap fares and you only ever need to buy one permanent ticket.’’
As with the pensioner excursion ticket, the Gold Opal has unlimited travel on any day for $2.50.
Mr Constance said 3.3 million Opal cards had been issued since electronic ticketing began in NSW.
A total of 350 million journeys had been taken with Opal tickets and 86 million free trips had been earned.
Mr Constance said many of the paper tickets that would cease to exist had large decreases in sales in the 12 months to May this year.
There had been drops of 89 per cent for the MyMulti Weekly, 76 per cent for MyBus TravelTen and 45 per cent for the pensioner excursion ticket.
Opal cards can be ordered 24 hours a day from opal.com.au or 13 67 25 (13 OPAL), and they be bought from many retailers.
VISITORS ‘NEED HELP’
Sydney Business Chamber said more needed to be done to help visitors grappling with the Opal system.
Executive director Patricia Forsythe said that with more than 70 per cent of trips being taken with Opal cards, the time was right to stop running two ticketing systems.
“The card encourages speed and efficiency across the network and has eliminated queuing and extended dwell time for buses,’’ she said.
“However, the clarity around the system is a challenge for first-time visitors.
‘‘Knowing where to purchase an Opal card and how to top it up remain challenges for many visitors who are not exposed to regular media information.
‘‘It is important to note that the Opal Card is the only one if its type in the world that does not require passengers to pay a deposit.’
Do you think the Opal system needs to be improved and if so how?