Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)

It is true we in Sinn Féin support this measure but it has to work in practice. I agree it is good there have been 25,000 cards and agree on the gathering of data to ensure public transport is available to more children and citizens into the future. However, the roll-out has not been going to plan. First of all, it took about a year to get it off the ground and the scheme was not officially launched until September. Even worse, some of the cards required to access the scheme do not work. Parents have contacted us to say not only does their child's Leap card not work but many bus drivers had not heard of the scheme. That is hardly a ringing endorsement of a successful roll-out. The NTA has confirmed to us there are problems with the scheme and has claimed the issues will be resolved when a fix is found and proper testing carried out. How is the Minister of State planning to do that? Why was this situation not anticipated and dealt with before September?

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