Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

The reason I bring up contactless payments is because I commute from north Kildare. As someone who has used buses and trains over years, I have seen the improvements in the public transport system. At the same time, contactless payments are something we have seen in many other countries and cities. A lot of people would have used them in different places. I see no reason Dublin and Ireland should be any different. That is the reason I tabled my question, but I also wanted to speak to an interim measure we could use. We all use our Leap cards, we all update them on the app and we all update our payments, but, sooner rather than later, it should be a simple case of being able to tap and go. Obviously, it will be a costly and complex exercise but we will need simple steps in place in order that we can identify the costs along the way, how they are orientated and whether the projects are hitting their targets within the timeline. I am very happy that contactless payments are a key focus for the Minister. Hopefully, we look to them being delivered in the near future. The sooner we get an interim measure in place, the better it will be for everyone.

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