Before the end of the month, a pilot scheme to test contactless and phone payments on buses is scheduled to launch.
Eamon Ryan, the minister of transport, has stated that he considers contactless payments to be a “priority” for public transportation.
People would be able to utilise contactless payments by the end of 2023, according to former Dublin Bus CEO Ray Coyne.
A spokesperson for Ryan confirmed that a pilot project to introduce the measure is at an “advanced stage” and is set to be rolled out on some services before the end of the month.
“All going well, installation on the buses will be ready for the pilot to start by the end of May,” the spokesperson said.
The representative also said that security checks will be conducted on the pilot system the following week.
These trial programmes will be implemented on select Public Service Obligation (PSO) providers, like as Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann.
In other nations, users can swipe their phones, smartwatches, or debit cards to make digital payments for public transportation. Since 2014, contactless payments for tube rides are accepted in London.
Ryan has previously said that approximately 80,000 Young Adult Leap Cards have been issued, along with a significant rise in the number of rural services that take Leap Cards.
The Transport Minister said last year that Dublin Bus’ IT system was old and “creaking” and that it needed be replaced entirely.
“It’s an older system, and it needs to be replaced and modernised,” Ryan said, adding that the National Transport Authority were “committed” to investing as much as they can into a new IT system.