Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
COMMUTERS IN DUBLIN will soon be able to put money on their Leap cards, just by holding them against their smartphone, it was announced today.
The National Transport Authority has just given a contract to international company ViX to develop a few new features, including one which uses Near Field Communications (NFC) to allow payment via a smartphone app.
NFC uses a wireless connection to transfer information into and out of your phone. A feature called a “digital wallet” stores your credit and debit card details on your phone.
Combining those technologies, and using a forthcoming smartphone app, Leap card owners will be able to look even more slick by simply holding the card close to the phone, and adding money to it.
Tim Gaston, head of ticketing at the NTA, told TheJournal.ie he hopes the new top-up system will be up and running by late summer 2015.
Another newly-announced feature will be tested first – displaying your balance on your phone, again using NFC technology.
Gaston expects that by around next Easter.
As of last month, 754,000 Leap cards have been issued throughout the country.
The vast majority are in Dublin, where they cards can be used on Dublin Bus, Luas, and DART and commuter rail services.
The card was recently introduced in Galway on Bus Éireann and City Direct services, and is also in operation in Cork and Wexford.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
And yet we still can’t top up through the leap card website.
You won’t need to soon.
Or let us tag off with the ticket machine, when the tag off poles have an error. Happens a lot in Castleknock station. Station house itself with barriers is closed up in the afternoon.
Yes you can. I do it regularly
Yeah but you have to “collect” your credit at a newsagent. like I could pay at a newsagent anyways.
No you don’t. It’s a bit confusing. I top up and it’s ready to use straight away.
Brian, you need to collect it at a connected terminal. If you tag on in a dart station or luas stop, you collect your top up simply by tagging on. If you’re using a bus though, no such luck — you need to ‘collect’ the top up at a connected terminal, i.e. A Payzone outlet, or a luas/dart machine. This is required because the chip on your leap card actually stores a variable containing how much credit you have. This allows you to tag on on buses when a central database can’t be checked.
Why not just have an app that utilises NFC so you can swipe the phone? Cut out the plastic leap card middle man
What of ur phone is dead?
Then top up your leap card like you do now. I’m not suggesting doing away with the plastic completely, many phones do not have nfc. But for those that do, why do I have to touch a leap card against my phone, then the card off the reader?
It would also incur additional bank charges (if your bank charges transaction fees, that is) for each use. And I’m assuming card/phone readers would need to contact your bank each time you try to pay for a ticket, whereas using leap card is pretty munch an instant transaction!
KBC or PTSB won’t charge you for that! :-)
Ever or yet?
Tagging on and off on a bus should surely be a priority?
Followed by a game of relieve-e-o
Flat rate bus fares would be useful as well, cut out the waiting for bus drivers to deduct the fare from the card.
About time!
Better start putting my phone and my leap card in different pockets or I could be broke by the end of the day
Not if Joan had her way!
Better again would be being able to buy things in shops with the Leap card like the Suica card in Tokyo
Better still would be a card that’s just as fast, but never have to top up because it’s tied to your bank account…
Auto top-up has been implemented. Works pretty well so far in my experience.
Yeh, Ger. That’s such a good idea that’s it’s already been implemented!
But don’t you have to go to an agent or a DART to get the online top-up validated? What good is that?
Best not put the two in my pocket together then.
Why do we have to pay for the card.. If they want to stop using change and reduce paper waste while increasing the speed at which passengers get in and out of busses etc then they should use their brains and hand them out free of charge. The money we pay is going to the adverts on the radios .. Another joke !! Useless people in charge as always .. ” free has a higher adoption rate especially if it’s for a limited time” eejits out there !!
“Chip in hand” get’s another little bit closer.
There’s already one in your head, Frank.
Off to the chipper, Frank?
We can also say that this is well timed as the global paranoia about handling notes and coins over the Ebola epidemic takes hold.
In London you can now pay for the Tube using your ATM card.
Sure topping up via the leap card website would make too much sense!!! Have a good idea, lets make it as awkward as possible to actually utilise the service. Notions …
Enable public transport payment direct from NFC enabled Debit Card or mobile phone. Eliminate the Leap card and associated project costs completely. ….And you still can’t buy a single ticket for train to Dublin & Luas/bus once you get there.
and what about people who are new to Dublin and or are only staying a short period of time they have to set up an Irish bank account or own an expensive smartphone just to use the bus?
Luke. They can use their Debit/ATM card which are now NFC enabled. Foreign debit cards with Visa/MasterCard can be accepted.
About feckin time, since as it now stands if you log into your own account and top up online you still have to go to a nominated shop or agent to have it validated – in which case you might as well just have gone there in the first place to top it up! Incredible!
Student Leap Cards allow you to pay around 30% less on Dublin Bus, up to 28% less on the Luas, as well as savings on the Dart, Bus Éireann and massive discounts on Iarnród Éireann( for example the train to Galway/Cork/Kerry is 55% cheaper.) You can top it up the exact same way as a regular leap card but the fare is slightly cheaper (go into any shop that sells mobile phone credit, e.g Centra,Spar Londis and they’ll do it for you). You can put the 5 day (€20) or 30 day (€100) Student Rambler Ticket which allows you unlimited travel on the Bus for non consecutive days. If you register the card online(www.leapcard.ie) and you loose it you can claim back any money or days travel credit that was on the card.
You can also view your transaction history online.
You are also entitled to all Student discounts in the cinema, if you join a gym or go to a museum! Also shops(e.g 10% off in Lifestyle Sports,Boots,Schuh). From 1st September 2014 onward any student in Ireland(full time or part, any level of study) can buy a Student Travel Card that will last you up til January 2016 in Trinity College Dublin Student’s Union!
Why not just use an app, much less development needed
have your say