NSW government to take $70 million from unused Opal cards to spend on transport improvements

Up to $70 million is set to be wiped from unused Opal cards as the NSW government looks to recover the unspent funds to invest in improving transport options around the state.

Around 17 million Opal cards have positive balances that haven't been used in five years, and many of these are unregistered, meaning their owners cannot be tracked down.

However, a new bill being tabled by the Minns government this week would allow that money to be recouped and spent on improving current infrastructure.

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According to the government, many of these cards belong to interstate or international travellers who bought one-off cards, but left the state with some money still on the card.

It is believed the average balance on these cards is $4.

The bill will propose amending the Passenger Transport Act 2014, allowing for the recovery to take place.

Transport Minister John Graham revealed the funds would be focused on improving bike facilities around the state, including more bike lockers at train stations and an upgraded e-bike system.

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"This bill proposes to put those otherwise unused funds into transport investments, particularly much-needed initiatives that will connect people to transport hubs by better active transport infrastructure and Opal-powered bike lockers," he said.

"These are things that will benefit the people of NSW using the network every day."

Graham also announced there would be a year-long campaign that would alert people to the changes and allow them to recover their funds.

Opal cards are used on all public transport in NSW, including trains, buses, metro, light rail and ferry services.

Commuters add funds to their card online or at a kiosk at a train station, then "tap on" to a card reader at a station or on a bus.

Commuters are also able to travel using bank cards or smartphones, bypassing the need for an Opal card.

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