Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have no doubt about the sincerity of the Deputy's question but from a practical point of view this will not happen. There is a cost issue, obviously, as well as an equipment issue which would require a complete overhaul of the bus fleet. The bus fleet would have to change, and there is no country in the world which has such a system unless it has doubled its fleet or has a standard fare. I would love to have a standard fare in urban areas, particularly in Dublin, but it is not practical given the economic situation, and I cannot say whether it would be practical at any stage in the future. Unless one or both of these changes happens, we will not be able to implement the Deputy's suggested system. It would cause serious issues for the financial situation of the bus companies. Furthermore, it would cause delays because people would be queuing at the same points getting on and off buses. We are trying to encourage as many people to use public transport as possible, hence the introduction of the Leap card. Any system that would devalue people's experience of using buses would be negative and I would not support it.

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