Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator Paschal Donohoe for raising the matter as it affords me the opportunity to update the House on progress towards delivering integrated ticketing.

Good progress is being made on the provision of integrated tickets in the greater Dublin area. Using magnetic strip technology, integrated tickets are available which allow transfer between bus and commuter rail, bus and Luas, and Luas and commuter rail and these tickets are enjoying increased consumer support.

The next significant development will be a wider integrated ticketing scheme in and around the greater Dublin area, based on smartcard technology, as part of Transport 21.

Smartcard technology will offer passengers simpler, more convenient and consistent access to, and payment for, participating public transport services. In addition to conventional ticket products, the smartcard based integrated ticketing system will include a pay-as-you-go electronic purse for payment of fares which is similar to prepaid mobile phones. An independent back office clearing system will ensure that the relevant transport operator will be paid for use of the electronic purse in order that passengers will not have to worry about what particular ticket type is valid on which particular transport service prior to undertaking their journey. An integrated ticketing project board was established last year to bring forward this project, pending the establishment of the Dublin Transportation Authority, which will ultimately have responsibility for integrated ticketing.

The board comprises the chief executive officers of the Railway Procurement Agency, Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann, larnród Éireann, a representative of the private bus operators, and a senior official from the Department of Transport under an independent chairperson. A senior official from the Department of Social and Family Affairs also attends, as required.

The project board has been given the responsibility for delivering this smartcard technology required for an integrated smartcard ticketing system within an agreed specification, timeline and budget. The board is working through all the elements required to deliver the system including commercial, operational, legal, competition and state aid issues.

The board submitted a comprehensive proposal for the delivery of the project to the Department of Transport. The proposal puts the expected capital cost of the integrated ticketing system at €49.6 million. This figure is the best estimate before tenders are received. On 1 June, the Department wrote to the chairman of the project board authorising him to proceed with the implementation of the project along the lines proposed.

The chairman has since informed the Department that the procurement process to secure a supplier for the back office systems is under way. The procurement notice was placed in the EU Journal in June this year.

Smartcard ticketing systems are in place on the Luas and Mortons services. The board has also given approval for both larnród Éireann and Bus Átha Cliath to introduce their own interim smartcard systems in the near term. These will enable both users and operators to familiarise themselves with the use and flexibilities of smartcard systems in the lead-up to the fully integrated system.

The next stage will be to roll out the proposed integrated ticketing system within the greater Dublin area, also including long-distance daily commuting into and out of that area. All of the current smartcard schemes are designed to migrate to this integrated smartcard system at the appropriate time.

The board has informed the Department that the roll-out will commence by the end of August 2009 on the services of Bus Átha Cliath, Luas and Mortons. It will be extended to larnród Éireann, Dart and commuter rail services within the following year. Bus Éireann has agreed to commence a trial project on one of its commuter routes. Full roll-out will be completed within four years.