From today, the 'Leap' card goes for public sale with commuters in the greater Dublin area now being able to switch between Bus, Luas, Dart and Rail services with one ticket. Public transport users will be able to purchase and top up their Leap Card at more than 350 authorised Leap Card agents (Payzone) across Dublin and online at www.leapcard.ie .
The news follows the successful public testing of the card with over 15,000 journeys completed with the new Leap card.
Launching the card, Minister Kelly, said: "The Leap Card will be among the cheapest ways to get around Dublin. It will make using public transport more attractive and make it easier to get around the city. Our testing phase produced over 15,000 successful journeys. This represents huge progress for commuters and it has been one of my biggest priorities since taking office.
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"A commitment was given in the Programme for Government to advance this project as quickly as possible and I'm delighted to have delivered on this. I have taken an active and participative interest in this project with the various transport companies and agencies since taking up my role so I am delighted to see it off the ground."
Today is only the first day of the first phase. It will be gradually built upon and developed throughout 2012 where additional functionalities will be added to include Bus Eireann services, some private bus operators, children tickets, rambler, Travel 90 and student cards.
The Leap Card offers passengers value and convenience with every transaction. It is easy to use and is hassle-free because it doesn't require public transport users to have the correct change or lots of coins to hand. It's also quicker with no more queuing at ticket machines for single tickets on Luas, DART and Commuter Rail Services. It's safer because public transport users can top up online and can report their card lost or stolen so that no one else can use it. With Dublin Bus, Luas, DART and Commuter Rail Services all being on board, public transport users can travel around Dublin as it suits them, without having to buy a specific ticket in advance.
Using Leap Cards to travel by Luas is up to 17% cheaper than purchasing single tickets from ticket machines, travelling by DART and Commuter Rail using Leap is up to 19% cheaper than purchasing singles from ticket machines, while the same fares as cash apply on Dublin Bus until January 2012 when a discount of 9% will come into play, following the rise in cash fares. Commuters and travellers are urged to buy their Leap Cards now, to be ready to take advantage of these differentials as soon as they come into effect.
(CD)
