Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 July 2004
48 Mr. Murphy asked the Minister for Transport if he intends to bring forward integrated ticketing and smart card technologies; if money has been allocated for this purpose in his Department’s Estimates for 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20310/04]
Amharc ar fhreagra51 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Transport if he expects to see the introduction of an integrated ticketing system to allow a common ticket to be used on the DART, the Luas and on buses in Dublin. [20553/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 51 together.
The Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, has statutory responsibility for the implementation of an integrated ticketing system, based on smartcard technologies, for initial deployment in the Dublin area. The contactless smartcard-based integrated ticketing system will enable a passenger to use a single ticket on one or more public transport services, by road and/or by rail, irrespective of the transport operator involved.
The RPA has set a target date of end 2005 for the launch of the full smartcard-based integrated ticketing system in Dublin. It is currently engaged in an open and competitive procurement process with a view to selecting a supplier and operator of the fully integrated ticketing system. The RPA continues to examine options to expedite the delivery of integrated ticketing with a view to bringing forward the proposed launch date. A first step was the launch in April of this year, in conjunction with the RPA, of a smartcard ticketing system by a private operator, Morton's, on its services. Another important step will be the launch later this year of smartcards on Luas services, followed by Dublin Bus in 2005.
In the meantime, integrated tickets, based on magnet strip technology, are available for travel on Dublin Bus and Irish Rail services, and I understand that the RPA has concluded a similar arrangement with Dublin Bus in respect of Luas services. The allocation for integrated ticketing in the 2004 Estimates for my Department is €9.5 million.
