[Article] Integrated ticket system ‘a mess’

[comcor]

Integrated ticket system ‘a mess’
By Áine Kerr, Political Reporter

THE proposed integrated ticketing system for public transport has been labelled a “monumental mess” as it has already cost up to €10 million in consultancy fees.

According to Labour’s transport spokeswoman Roisín Shortall, the system, which has a budget of €42.7m, has the potential to evolve into a “saga” similar to the Government’s unused electronic voting machines.

She maintained a “turf war” between the State companies had resulted in mass delays and continued difficulties since the integrated system was initiated in 2002.





Her comments followed confirmation that Iarnród Éireann and Dublin Bus plan to introduce smartcards which passengers will not be able to use for both bus and rail services.

“An integrated ticketing system is not rocket science. Every other European city has a system, but here it is turning into a monumental mess,” Ms Shortall said.

“Around €10m has already been spent but there is so little to show for that money. We are no nearer to having an integrated system than we were five years ago.”

She said it had been a mistake to originally make the Rail Procurement Agency (RPA) responsible for introducing the integrated system as the agency did not have the required expertise.

Although a new committee has since been appointed to oversee the introduction of the system, she reasoned that the Government should consult with the experts involved in establishing and maintaining the highly successful system operated in London.

In his report last year, the Comptroller and Auditor General John Purcell said a failed public procurement process undertaken by the RPA had cost almost 1m and further delayed the project.

His report stated that a contributory factor in the cost overruns and delays was the “underlying tensions between the CIÉ companies and the RPA”.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport yesterday said a report submitted by the committee overseeing the introduction of integrated before Christmas is being considered by Transport Minister Martin Cullen.

She said other European cities had first introduced individual smartcards before an integrated ticketing system was established.

http://www.examiner.ie/irishexaminer...790-qqqx=1.asp

I would also like to comment that what the spokeswoman said in the last paragraph is horse****.

[Mark Gleeson]

In London they are only now rolling out smartcards on heavy suburban rail

Dublin Bus are equipped right now to handle smartcards, every bus its the DoT who won't let them

Irish Rail have a trial ongoing and all those new barriers are smartcard enabled

What no one else will say is the problem is not with Dublin Bus or IE its with the DoT as smartcard ticketing will result in a loss of revenue, who is going to cover that loss?

[Mark]

I can clearly see the reasons for the impasse between the DoT, BAC, IE, RPA etc. but I cant understand why iE and BAC cant cooperate on the smart card issue. Where is Dr. Lynch now?

As a kid I never knew why I couldnt get a bus into town and a DART home. At the time it was all CIE so by my reckoning the money was all going into the same pot so to speak.

[alek smart]

Mark Gleeson is absolutely 100 % Correct.

Dublin Bus are by far and away the most advanced along the digitized ticketing road.
The company has for many years now had the desire and the in-house expertise to develop and run its own system AND to modify it if required to allow multi-modal use.

It is patently unfair to level accusations of non-cooperation etc at DB/IE.
The buck never even left the Ministers Desk in this case and we now have at least 3 Ministers for Transport who have fiddled merrily while the Roman fiasco burned.

It is unsettling to say the least that even after a VERY damning C& AG`s report we have not had a single dismissal or resignation over this core issue in Public Transport terms.

There is almost NO point in Government Ministers talking on PT issues until this unholy mess is sorted out.

THIS IS ABOUT REVENUE LOSS,ALLOCATION,COMPENSATION,SUBVENTION AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE INDIVIDUAL COMPANIES.
IT IS ONLY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT WHICH CAN RESOLVE THE IMPASSE.