Opal Charged Twice on a Bus? Why It Happens and How to Claim

In June a commuter posted on r/sydney about a 501 bus. They tapped on right as the drivers were swapping over. When they tapped off, the reader didn't link it to their tap on, so Opal treated it as a new trip, and one ride came out as two "No Tap Off" charges. It was the second time it had happened on the same trip. They contacted Opal Customer Care and got a $5.69 fare adjustment back.

Opal charged twice for one bus ride, even though you tapped on and off? A driver change is a common cause. It's a reader fault, not your mistake, so you can ask for a fare adjustment.

The quick answer

What you see: one bus ride shows up as two trips, each charged as an incomplete trip (a default fare), sometimes with a tap-off stop that's wrong (one commenter says it can show the route's first stop).
What it costs: a default bus fare can be up to $5.77 peak for adults ($2.88 concession). Two of them for a 3–8 km peak ride that should have cost $4.49 is up to $7.05 too much.
Can you claim it? Yes, if the reader was at fault. TfNSW adjusts fares "charged an incorrect fare amount due to an issue with an Opal card reader". A forgotten tap off isn't covered, so be clear that you tapped both ends.
How: registered Opal card: log in, go to Opal account enquiries, choose Complaint - Opal fares. You have 90 days from the charge. Contactless (bank card, phone or watch): 80 days, through Transport Connect.

Opal charged twice for one bus ride: why it happens

Opal prices a trip by matching your tap on with your tap off. If the bus's reader loses track mid-trip, your two taps can't be matched, and each half gets charged as an incomplete trip.

TfNSW hasn't published an explanation for the driver-change version. Commenters in the r/sydney thread offered two:

The outgoing driver presses "End Trip" when logging off. One commenter said this resets the bus's current stop to the first stop on the route (Central or Parramatta, for the 501), and the readers stay stuck there until the new driver fixes it. When you tap off, the system thinks you've ended your trip at a stop before the one you boarded at. That isn't a valid trip, so you get a default fare. A commenter who said they drive buses agreed: drivers select "End Trip" instead of "Close Shift and Log Off" at handover.
The Opal equipment powering down. Another said this used to happen at every driver change because the readers shut off with the bus, and that it was supposedly fixed by keeping them powered.

Treat these as commuter explanations, not official ones. Either way, a reader that loses track of your trip isn't your fault, which puts it under TfNSW's reader-fault reason.

How much does the double charge cost?

TfNSW's tapping on and tapping off page says an incomplete trip is charged "the maximum possible fare for that service, based on your Opal card type", and that "you will never be charged over the Daily Travel Cap".

On a bus, the most a default fare can be is the top band of the bus fare table on TfNSW's Adult Opal fares page , checked 17 October 2026:

0–3 km: $3.30 peak, $2.31 off-peak
3–8 km: $4.49 peak, $3.14 off-peak
8+ km: $5.77 peak, $4.03 off-peak

TfNSW adult Opal bus fare table with the 8+ km row, $5.77 peak and $4.03 off-peak, outlined in red — TfNSW's adult bus fares. The outlined top band is the most a single bus default fare can cost.

Concession bus fares are $1.65, $2.24 and $2.88 at peak times.

A worked example

Say you catch a bus to work on a Tuesday morning, a 6 km trip.

What it should cost: one 3–8 km peak fare, $4.49.
What a driver-change glitch can cost: two incomplete trips, each up to $5.77, so up to $11.54.
The difference: up to $7.05 for one ride. On a concession card it's up to $5.76 instead of $2.24, so up to $3.52 extra.

The 501 commuter was hit twice on the same trip within a few weeks, so it can add up. The default is the highest fare for that specific service, so yours might be less: check your history for the real amounts.

Can you get it back?

TfNSW's Opal refunds and fare adjustments page lists three reasons for a fare adjustment. The first is the one that fits here: you were "charged an incorrect fare amount due to an issue with an Opal card reader".

TfNSW fare adjustment section with the Opal card reader line, the 90-day deadline, the 60-day collection rule and the Complaint - Opal fares step outlined in red — TfNSW's fare adjustment rules: a reader issue qualifies, you have 90 days to ask, and registered cards claim through 'Complaint - Opal fares'.

A few things to know before you claim:

It isn't automatic. TfNSW's Opal Refund and Balance Transfer Policy says each request is "individually reviewed for accuracy". A clear, specific claim helps.
The money goes back on the same Opal card, not to your bank account. Approved adjustments are collected by tapping on for your next trip. If you don't do that within 60 days, you'll need to contact Opal Customer Care again.
Forgot to tap off? That's different. A forgotten tap off isn't one of the three reasons TfNSW lists, and its contactless page says outright there's no refund if you "tapped on or off incorrectly". This claim works because you tapped on and off and the reader got it wrong, so say exactly that.

How to claim a double charge, step by step

Find the two charges. Open your trip history and look for one ride split into two trips, each charged as incomplete, or a tap-off location that doesn't match where you got off.
Lodge the claim within 90 days. For a registered Opal card, log in to your Opal account on opal.com.au , go to Opal account enquiries and pick Complaint - Opal fares. If your card isn't registered, use the enquiries and feedback form on Opal Customer Care and choose the same enquiry type.
Say exactly what happened. Something like this works:

On [date] I caught the [route number] bus towards [direction]. I tapped on at [time] at [stop] and tapped off at [time] at [stop]. The drivers changed over during my trip, and Opal charged two incomplete trips instead of one fare. I tapped on and off correctly, so I believe this was an Opal reader issue. Please adjust the two charges to the correct single fare.

Collect it. Once it's approved, tap on for your next trip so the credit lands on your card.

Paid with a bank card, phone or watch?

TfNSW's contactless reimbursements page covers the same reader-fault reason, but only for trips in the past 80 days, and you apply through Transport Connect. Approved money is credited to your next fare, or back to your card if you don't travel on it within 7 days. Allow about 20 business days for processing.

One catch: TfNSW won't refund contactless trips where you tapped on or off incorrectly, didn't separate your cards or devices, or tapped off with a different one from the one you tapped on with. If your phone and your bank card both sat near the reader, that's card clash, not a driver change. Our guide to Opal card clash explains why it isn't refundable.

How to stop it catching you again

Tap off with the same card or device you tapped on with, every time.
Noticed a driver change on board? Check your history that day and note the route, direction, time and stops while you still remember them.

Check your history for bus trips with no tap off

Download your Opal trip history. Our guide to downloading your Opal, go card or myki history shows you where.
Drop the file into FareClaim . It flags trips with no tap off, missed transfers and duplicate charges, and lays out the date, time and stops you'll need for the claim.

FareClaim trip table from a sample Opal statement with a Botany Rd bus trip to an unknown destination flagged as Failed Touch Off — A FareClaim scan of a sample Opal statement (test data, not current fares). A bus trip with no matched tap off gets flagged. Only claim it if you did tap off.

FareClaim is free and run by volunteers. Your file is checked in your browser and never uploaded, there are no ads and no cut, and we're not affiliated with TfNSW. We don't lodge claims for you. It reads Opal card exports (plus go card and myki). Contactless isn't supported yet.

Scan your Opal history free on FareClaim

Related guides

FAQ

Why did Opal charge me twice for one bus trip?

Most likely the reader couldn't match your tap on and tap off, so each was charged as an incomplete trip. Sydney commuters often link it to a driver change mid-route, when the bus's stop information can reset.

Can I get a refund if Opal charged me twice?

Yes, if the reader caused it. TfNSW adjusts fares charged incorrectly because of an Opal card reader issue, as long as you ask within 90 days. The adjustment goes back onto the same Opal card.

What if I forgot to tap off the bus?

It isn't one of the reasons TfNSW lists for a fare adjustment. The fare adjustment covers reader faults, evacuations and outages, and service disruptions, not a missed tap.

Sources: Transport for NSW, [Opal refunds and fare adjustments](https://transportnsw.info/tickets-fares/opal/manage-your-card/opal-refunds-fare-adjustments), [Tapping on and tapping off](https://transportnsw.info/tickets-fares/fares/tapping-on-tapping-off), [Adult Opal fares](https://transportnsw.info/tickets-fares/fares/adult-opal-fares), [Concession Opal fares](https://transportnsw.info/tickets-fares/fares/concession-opal-fares), [Contactless reimbursements](https://transportnsw.info/tickets-fares/contactless-payments/contactless-reimbursements) and the [Opal Refund and Balance Transfer Policy](https://transportnsw.info/document/2081/opal-refund-balance-transfer-policy.pdf) (version 4.11), all checked 17 October 2026. Commuter report: [r/sydney, "Bus double-charged no tap off when driver changes"](https://www.reddit.com/r/sydney/comments/1tumofu/bus_doublecharged_no_tap_off_when_driver_changes/) (June 2026) and its comments.