Commuters face $20-a-week fare hike: NRMA

Commuters from Sydney's outer suburb could be slugged with an extra $20 a week to get into the city under a proposal to hike Opal fares, the NRMA is warning.

The pricing regulator's proposal was put forward in December as part of IPART's review of public transport fares.

The new charges could mean an increase of up to 48 per cent for those travelling from Sydney's outer west to the CBD, the NRMA said on Friday.

"It would cost Monday to Friday commuters to the CBD from Toongabbie, Warwick Farm, and Engadine an extra $18.44 per week," it said in a statement.

The IPART report, which will be used to determine appropriate maximum fares for the next three years, has also proposed heftier fares for those who travel long distances on public transport.

Changes recommended by IPART are to be decided by the state government in July and will be in place until 2019.

The draft includes a proposal to remove free trips after eight fares a week and hiking the weekend rate from the Sunday's $2.50 cap to $7.20 for adults.

Both of those measures were used specifically to promote the system during its introduction with the then NSW transport minister encouraging people to use the free trips to save on longer journeys.

"I want people to beat the system," Gladys Berejiklian told Fairfax Media in 2014.

"I want people to find the savings because they are there to be had," she said.