Govt promises integrated ticketing by Sept '09

[CSL]

RPA have just gone out to tender for bus ticketers

http://www.etenders.gov.ie/search/sh...x?ID=MAY101899

[ThomasJ]

Tim Gaston in the rpa told me there was only going to be a Dublin integrated ticketing system.

In Last Wednesdays Independent

Commuters must wait another two years for travel 'smart card'
By Paul Melia


Wednesday April 30 2008

THE full roll-out of an integrated ticket for Dublin commuters will not happen until the end of 2010, almost eight years after it was first announced.

The "smart card" allowing Dublin commuters to use one ticket on bus, Luas and rail is expected to cost €49.6m, the Department of Transport revealed yesterday.

The integrated system will be launched in September 2009 but only for Dublin Bus, Luas and Morton's Coaches -- a private transport operator.

It will be extended to Irish Rail, DART and commuter services over the following year, while Bus Eireann will undertake a "trial project".

A tender document for a consultant on the project says that the full roll-out is not expected until the end of 2010.

Fine Gael Transport spokesman Fergus O'Dowd said: "It seems to me that this is about getting everyone (the transport operators) to agree how much they will get from the ticket," he said.

"It doesn't make sense to me to be employing more consultants, it's a bit much."

- Paul Melia

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...d-1362603.html

[Derek Wheeler]

So what happens when/if the DTA come into being???? Its in their remit and is perhaps the biggest expectation. RPA seem to be driving ahead and it still appears to be rudderless.

[Colm Moore]

I honestly don't understand why IÉ can't join this - with entry and exit validation at most stations and tag-on tag-off at Luas stops, it should all be very easy.

But it never is in this country, is it.

[Thomas Ralph]

Actually there is exit validation at less than half (and I would probably stretch to less than a quarter) of stations in the short hop zone and a decent number of stations (outside the DART radius) don't even have entry validation.

[Mark]

A poster on boards.ie (tolltag thread) very cleverly picked up on it, does anyone else find it amusing that only in a matter of months our major toll road is now contactless ticketing only - yet our transport department still maintain an archaic view on public transport fares?

[Derek Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Mark

A poster on boards.ie (tolltag thread) very cleverly picked up on it, does anyone else find it amusing that only in a matter of months our major toll road is now contactless ticketing only - yet our transport department still maintain an archaic view on public transport fares?

Thats because there's real money at stake on the roads. Public transport is a drain. We all know they can do integrated ticketing on public transport, but we all know that there's little excheuqer insentive.

The boardsie is just recounting what every hack, jack, wannabe, drunk, tramp and junkie is talking about. Its been discussed on various radio shows and been the topic of a few letters to ed in the daily rags. Whats the point in highlighting it as it will just get swallowed up in the FF spin of death and be gloosed over by a thick electorate. We've been here before in different outfits.