Slow train coming: contactless transport payments due in 2025

CONTACTLESS payments for public transport are on the way – but it could still be next year or the year after before smartphones and bank cards can be used on buses, trams and trains.

Anne Graham, chief executive of the National Transport Authority, has confirmed that a tendering process is due to be completed in the next two months to install a new payment system across all public transport routes.

Ms Graham said a limited number of transport services are already testing out the concept.

‘We do have some bank card payment testing on some of our Local Link services in rural Ireland,’ she told Newstalk radio. ‘So, actually we might start our payments in rural Ireland, ahead of even the cities.’

Ms Graham said the ‘significant IT project’ would take some time to roll out in full. ‘It’s going to be into 2025, 2026 before we see it replacing Leap Card,’ she continued.

‘What we’re trying to do is make sure that we replicate the system, which is a very integrated system in Dublin, and replicate the TFI 90 fare.’

Fine Gael TD Emer Higgins said the new contactless system should be launched as soon as possible, saying: ‘Anything that makes life easier for commuters and visitors to our capital and encourages more people to use public transport to ease congestion on our roads would be a positive step.’

It comes as new figures show public transport use hit a record high in Ireland last year. People made around 308 million journeys on Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann, Luas and other local services in 2023.

The figure is 24% higher than it was in 2022 and 5% higher than in 2019, which previously held the record.

Nearly half of all public transport journeys were on Dublin Bus, with 145 million passenger journeys last year – up 20% on the figures for 2022. Around 45.5 million journeys were made by rail and 48.2 million on the Luas.