A commuter travelling each day between Oatley and Central stations would pay an extra $717 a year under proposed Opal card changes, the state opposition has calculated.
For journeys between Oatley and Hurstville, the yearly increase would be $309.
Opposition transport spokesman Ryan Park called on the state government to reject the changes and for Liberal MP for Oatley Mark Coure to speak out.
Mr Park and Labor’s spokesman for the electorate, Shaoquett Moselmane MLC said Mr Coure has chosen to protest at a 30 cent rise in the cost of postage stamps, while staying quiet on the proposed Opal fare increase.
They claimed the changes would cost a typical Oatley commuter an extra $13.80 a week, or $717 a year, a rise of 41 per cent.
The Independent pricing tribunal recommended the present system, where commuters pay only for their first eight trips in a week, be ditched and, instead, they pay for their ten most expensive journeys.
The changes were designed to stop people taking unnecessary short trips in order to qualify for free trips on longer journeys.
Mr Coure said IPART was independent, and had to justify the proposed changes.
“The government has not made a decision,” he said.
“I will look at [the IPART report]; I have only seen sections of it.
“I am certainly against any massive increases in transport fares.
“The good news is we are putting a lot of money into the Oatley station upgrade, with new lifts, and opened a new commuter car park.”
On Saturday, the construction of the lift and stairs over the station reached a major milestone when the walkway sections were installed.
Robin Robertson said a crowd gathered to “witness a moment in history” as a towering red crane swung the walkways on to the stair structure.
