Contactless on Dublin public transport? 'It's happening,' says Transport Minister... in 2029
CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS ON Dublin's rail, bus, and tram routes are not expected to be fully operational until 2029, Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien told the Oireachtas Committee on Transport today.
The Minister appeared to give an update on transport estimates for this year.
The contactless payments would allow those using public transport in Dublin to reduce their reliance on Leap cards and cash.
Contactless payments are to come into operation on a phased basis, O'Brien said, beginning with phase one in summer to autumn 2027. Phase one is an in-use testing phase, followed by three other phases 'dependant on the success of that roll-out'.
The in-use testing phase will be in a control area within Dublin, across rail, bus, and tram routes, O'Brien said in response to questioning from Green Party leader Roderick O'Gorman. That would be across a period of months, he said.
Phase two would be a 'further expansion' on the first phase which would run into summer 2028, and the third phase would follow on into the following year – 2029.
'How we roll it out would be dependent on the first phase. If that goes well and the testing of that is robust, and we don't require many system changes, be that on the ICT side or the contactless side… the next phase after that is scheduled for the following year. So by 2027 to '29, you would have the system full operational,' O'Brien told O'Gorman.
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'It will be something that is with us a long time, so we don't want to rush it.'
O'Brien said that he would like to see the system operational sooner, but that it can't be predicted how the rollout will go.
Fine Gael TD Grace Boland questioned the minister on the crawling pace of the introduction of a system that is a mainstay in many European cities. 'Tourists that come here can't believe we don't have a tap-on, tap-off system,' she said.
In a statement released following the Committee meeting, Boland said: ''Why the delay, what is the issue here? Other cities have it. Greece defaulted on a debt repayment ten years ago and they have it rolled out now.
'This is simply not good enough. Contactless payments must be introduced across Dublin far quicker than 2029.'
Labour's transport spokesperson Ciaran Ahern pointed out that vending machines and churches use contactless card machines in Ireland.
'Not only has cash become less frequently used across society, even the use of physical cards is on the decline given that most smartphones have a payment function. Carrying around a LEAP card is really a thing of the past,' he said.
He added that it was particularly inconvenient for people who don't live in Dublin but who want to use public transport when in the city.
The system is estimated to cost €165m to the Exchequer.
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