Integrated Ticketing Scheme – Leap Card

Public Transport Minister, Alan Kelly, along with the National Transport Authority (NTA) officially launched Leap Card on 12th December 2011, the new integrated transport ticketing scheme for the Greater Dublin Area. Public transport users can now purchase and top up their Leap Card at more than 350 authorised Leap Card agents (Payzone) across Dublin and online at www.leapcard.ie

In line with international best practice for introducing smartcard technology, Leap Card is being rolled out on a gradual phased basis with the initial offering to be pay-as-you-go.

The card will allow users to pay-as-you-go for travel on Dublin Bus, Luas, DART and Commuter Rail with one smart card, called a Leap Card.

Once the Travel Credit aspect of Leap Card is established, more functions and transport operators will be added, on a phased basis. It is planned that this will include:

  • Auto Top-Up makes sure you never run out of Travel Credit by automatically topping up your card from your bank account. Once it’s introduced, you’ll be able to activate this online.
  • Transfer Rebates – this is where the system will “rebate” your card with a fixed amount of Travel Credit when you transfer between transport modes
  • A wide range of ticket products such as annual and monthly passes
  • Cards specifically for Students and Scholars
  • Private bus operators, and Bus Éireann in the greater Dublin area

Leap Card – Background Information

In 2011, the National Transport Authority took over responsibility for the completion and delivery for the Leap Card in the Greater Dublin Area. Leap Card allows customers to use a single smart card to pay for their travel on public transport within and around Dublin. The smart card will help make journeys on public transport easier as coins will no longer be required to pay for single tickets. Customers will simply touch their card to a reader at the gate or point of entry and exit (entry only on bus), benefiting from improved convenience and speed in the ticketing process.

Customer Benefits of Smart Cards

  • Flexible – the same smart card can be used on multiple transport operators
  • No need to have the correct change or carry cash
  • Reduced boarding times on buses
  • Shorter queues for tickets at Luas and Irish Rail Ticket machines
  • Fast, secure and convenient transactions
  • Reusable – the card can be topped-up with travel credit (or period tickets in the future)

Transport Operator Benefits of Smart Cards

  • Reduced cash management
  • Facilitates easier transfers between services
  • Improves transport services by making them easier to use
  • Tamper proof storage of transaction activities
  • Decreased levels of fare evasion and fraud loss
  • Reliable and proven technology in volume production
  • Provides a tool to implement creative and flexible fares
  • Accurate data for service planning purposes

Interim Smart Card Schemes

A number of interim single transport operator smart card schemes are currently in place on the following transport operators: Luas, Dublin Bus, Irish Rail (for DART and Commuter Rail services). These smart cards will continue to work as normal alongside Leap Card before being gradually phased out.

Testing

The final round of testing has now been completed. This round focused on the pay-as-you-go element of the scheme on Dublin Bus, Luas, DART and Commuter Rail services.

Roll Out Plans

Leap Card has now launched for pay-as-you-go users. It facilitates cashless travel on services of participating operators, initially Dublin Bus, Luas, DART and Commuter Rail services in the Dublin area. Users can Top-Up their Leap Card with Travel Credit and pay- as- you- go on the applicable transport operators. Leap Card will then be rolled out to cover services provided by private bus operators, and Bus Éireann in the greater Dublin area following completion of the necessary development, testing and commissioning of their systems.

Using Leap Card

For all the information you need about how to buy and use a Leap Card, visit www.leapcard.ie