‘Elon Musk will colonise Mars’ before we get contactless payments on public transport, TD says
Elon Musk plans to send humans to Mars under his SpaceX programme
The contactless payment system, replacing Leap cards, will take 'approximately three years to deliver'. Pic: Damien Eagers
Elon Musk will have colonised Mars before contactless payments for Dublin’s public transport system are rolled out, one TD has claimed.
Grace Boland, Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal West, described it as “absolutely ridiculous” that commuters are still waiting for this to happen.
“We are being left behind by our European counterparts, who have had this technology for years,” she said.
“London has had contactless payments on their buses since 2012, Milan has had it since 2018, and the Netherlands became the first country to launch a fully contactless public transport payments system nationwide in 2023.
“At the snail's pace we are going, Elon Musk will have colonised Mars, and Manchester United will have built a new 100,000-capacity stadium before people in this country get contactless payments for public transport,” she added.
The comments follow a report published by the National Transport Authority, which said this type of contactless payment will not be available until at least 2028.
Fine Gael TD Grace Boland is urging the Minister for Transport to prioritize contactless payments on public transport
It was announced in July last year that a Spanish company, Indra, would be responsible for the introduction of the new system – allowing passengers to pay fares using their bank cards or mobile phones – across bus, tram, and rail services.
This project, part of the larger BusConnects Programme, will initially focus on the Greater Dublin Area and is expected to reduce delays caused by cash transactions.
However, the NTA’s recently published progress report on BusConnects revealed the new ticketing system is still at the analysis and design stage and will take “approximately three years to deliver”.
This means current ticketing systems on rail and bus services will remain in place until at least 2028.
Deputy Boland highlighted that on routes operated by Dublin Bus, passengers can only pay with coins if they don’t have a Leap Card, with no change being given on board.
She said almost everyone nowadays is using a smartphone, so there “absolutely should be an option to pay using contactless technology”.
“In 2018, we were told it would take two years; in 2022, we were told it would be in place by 2023-2024, and in 2023, we were told it would be in place in 2025,” she added.
In the NTA’s 2016 annual report, the authority said the international trend was towards ticketing systems that accepted smartphones, contactless bank cards, and other unique IDs.
The contactless payment system, replacing Leap cards, will take 'approximately three years to deliver'. Pic: Damien Eagers
Accordingly, the Authority commenced a long-term work programme to prepare a coherent roadmap for the next evolution of the Leap Card scheme.
Deputy Boland said she recalled Dublin MEP Brian Hayes calling for contactless payments back in 2014, which is over a decade ago.
“If we can’t get contactless payments, then we need to see some innovation from the NTA, with alternative options put forward,” she said.
“Why not introduce an app where public transport users can buy and display their tickets? Or introduce digital Leap Cards?
“Our capital city is continuing to grow, so we need to be doing everything we can to make life easier for commuters and visitors to our city.
“The NTA is showing no respect for commuters and tourists by continuously delaying this.”
She urged the NTA and Minister Darragh O’Brien to “prioritise getting this infrastructure” in place before 2028.
The Department of Transport has been contacted for comment.
