Contactless payments for public transport must be fast tracked

The current timeline to introduce contactless payments for public transport is far too long, a Fine Gael Councillor has said.

Councillor Aoibhinn Tormey, who is contesting the general election for Fine Gael in Dublin Bay North, said that the rollout of contactless payments on buses, trains and trams needs to be prioritised and completed in a much shorter timeframe.

“A recent report said it will take up to four years for the new system to be rolled out across Dublin transport services. It is ridiculous to ask commuters to wait so long for this system to be brought in,” he said.

“While I am glad to see progress being made on this with the announcement of the Spanish firm Indra being selected to rollout this process, we need to see it urgently prioritised.”

“For years we have been calling on the National Transport Authority (NTA) to urgently introduce this system, but progress has been far too slow.”

“The benefits of implementing this are enormous. It will help get people onto buses quicker, making it easier to pay without cash, and also to pay the best fare without stopping to tell the driver where they are going.”

“All of this will ensure public transport runs far smoother and will benefit people all across Dublin,” he added.

London has had contactless payment for public transport since 2012, while Scotland has had similar technology on public transport since 2017.

“Anything that makes life easier for commuters and visitors to our capital and encourages more people to use public transport should be encouraged.”

“I understand that introducing new technology is a complicated process, however public transport users have already been waiting far too long for this to be introduced.

“Cities all across Europe have a contactless system in place on public transport, and we need to ensure we’re in line with our EU counterpart.”

“I’m calling on the NTA and Indra to prioritise the roll-out of next generation ticketing in Dublin, to allow passengers finally use a debit card or smartphone to pay for fares,” concluded Councillor Tormey.