New South Wales (NSW) public transport subsidies and vision loss

In NSW if you are experiencing low vision or blindness you may apply for a Vision Impaired Person’s (VIP) Travel Pass. The VIP Travel Pass entitles you to free or concession travel on public transport in NSW. If you have a support person travelling with you they may also be eligible for this concession. Your travel pass will indicate if your support person is eligible.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must be a permanent resident of NSW and have been assessed by an ophthalmologist (or optometrist in rural and regional areas) as legally blind. The criteria require one of the following:

• Visual acuity on the Snellen scale less than 6/60 in both eyes while wearing glasses or contact lenses.
• Field of vision is constricted to 10 degrees of arc in the better eye, irrespective of corrected visual acuity.
• The combination of visual defects resulting in the same visual impairment than in the above two conditions.

How to apply

Download and complete the VIP Travel Pass application. You will need to have your medical specialist complete and sign the appropriate sections and submit with two passport style photos using the online portal.

Visiting from interstate

If you have a VIP Travel Pass from another state or territory in Australia, you can get travel benefits in NSW, such as:

Sydney and surrounding areas:

• Free travel on all Sydney Trains, Sydney Metro and NSW TrainLink Intercity services. This includes non-booked NSW TrainLink Intercity services between Dungog, Scone, Goulburn, Bomaderry (Nowra) and Bathurst.
• Free travel on Sydney Ferries, Sydney and Newcastle light rail services, Sydney and Newcastle bus services, and some local bus services.

Regional NSW:

• Concession fares in First or Economy class on NSW TrainLink Regional services within NSW (concessions do not apply for sleeping berth charges).
• Concession fares from the NSW border to your interstate destination when travelling on NSW TrainLink Regional services.
• Some local bus services may offer free travel. Check with the operator before you travel.

Travelling Companion

Additionally, the National Companion Card Scheme allows eligible people with disabilities to participate in activities without a second ticket cost for their companion, including some public transport services.