Transport concession

Important information

To facilitate reforms to the NSW Tertiary Student Transport concession schemes, including the introduction of an electronic ticketing system (concession) under a new scheme agreed with Transport for NSW (TfNSW), the University is now responsible for verifying the eligibility of students to TfNSW.

Once your eligibility is confirmed by the University, the University is required to send your name, date of birth and University OneID directly to TfNSW. This enables TfNSW to process student applications for concession travel.

If you wish to apply for the concession, you must complete the application form at the TfNSW website.

Further information about the concession and the eligibility criteria for the concession can be accessed from the TfNSW website.

For undergraduate students at Macquarie University, full-time is considered to be 30 credit points or more per session.

For postgraduate students at Macquarie University, this varies according to your degree. Contact Service Connect to check if you are considered full-time.

Consent to disclosure of your personal information

So that the University can send your name, date of birth and University OneID to TfNSW for the purpose of providing of tertiary student concession travel to you, we require you to read and consent to the Privacy Notice and Declaration and agree to the sharing this information with TfNSW using this online form.

Information regarding how your information will be used and disclosed by TfNSW is set out in the Privacy Notice and Declaration.

For more information about TfNSW's privacy and information handling practices, please go TfNSW Privacy Statement.

For more information about the privacy and information handling practices related to the ordering and use of the Opal Card in particular, please see the Opal Privacy Policy.

Opposing your enrolment information being sent to TfNSW

If you do not want your eligibility/enrolment status information to be shared with TfNSW, then you are not required to provide your consent to the Privacy Notice and Declaration.

If you do not provide your consent, your eligibility status will not be disclosed to TfNSW. However, if the University does not disclose your eligibility information to TfNSW, you will be unable to apply for a concession Opal card through the online application process at the TfNSW website (see link above).

You must be an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident to be eligible for Concession. You also need to reside in NSW.

You must be enrolled into a minimum of 30 credit points for the first (Session 1/Winter Vacation) or second half of the year (Session 2/Session 3) in internal mode.

A Transport Declaration form must be submitted on AskMQ for each year you wish to receive Concession. Ensure you have submitted a Declaration form for the current year.

First, ensure you have submitted the Declaration form for the year. If you have recently withdrawn from any units, check to see that you are enrolled in the minimum number of internal units for Concession.

If so, you will need to resubmit the Transport Declaration form on AskMQ.

If so, you may require an eligibility override from Service Connect. If you meet the eligibility requirements and are experiencing issues when ordering a Concession Opal Card, please contact Service Connect for assistance.

If so, you may require an eligibility override from Service Connect. If you meet the eligibility requirements and are experiencing issues when ordering a Concession Opal Card, please contact Service Connect for assistance.

When applying for the card on the Opal website, ensure all your details match your Macquarie details, including your student email address.

If so, you will need to request a new Concession card from Transport for NSW. Ensure you have submitted the Transport Declaration form and still meet the eligibility requirements.

Transport for NSW usually accepts applications for Concession Opal Cards no earlier than two weeks prior to the start of session.

If you have not already done so for the current calendar year, please submit a Transport Concession Declaration form via AskMQ . Without submitting this form we are unable to share your eligibility details with Transport for NSW due to privacy legislation. Submitting this form gives us consent to share your enrolment status information.

You need to submit the Transport Concession Declaration form at the start of every year.

You also need to ensure you continue to meet the eligibility requirements set by Transport for NSW.

You do not need to wait until the start of the next study period to apply for a Concession Opal Card, however you need to ensure you meet the eligibility requirements.

You will have to update your Residency Status before you order a Concession Opal Card – follow the “Change of residency” information on this fees information page.

More information about ordering a Concession Opal Card can be found on our transport concession webpage.