Seanad debates
Thursday, 8 November 2007
Public Transport
1:00 pm
Paschal Donohoe (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for giving me the opportunity to raise this issue on the adjournment. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher for standing in for the Minister. I am seeking to find out where we stand on the delivery of integrated ticketing for public transport in Dublin and across the country.
This proposal has a long history, spanning 15 years and I am not aware of the timetable for its delivery. I believe the Dublin Transport Authority made proposals in the early 1990's and then handed the baton to the Rail Procurement Agency in 2005. I understand the Rail Procurement Agency initiated a procurement process which was ultimately inconclusive and ended sometime in 2006.
The benefits of integrated ticketing for public transport are very clear both to the providers and the people who use public transport. The idea is simple and means that one can go on a journey where one can go from the train to Luas and or to the bus with a single ticket. The reason that is important for those who use public transport is that it makes it easier to take journeys involving different forms of public transport and it would encourage people to use different forms of public transport on the same journey. This would be very important because what makes public transport successful is the number of people who use it. The more people use public transport, the more revenue will be generated, which enables further investment and public transport to flourish. When integrated ticketing is not available, the providers of public transport lose out on a significant opportunity to attract more people to use the forms of transport available. For those who want to use public transport for many different journeys, the process is complicated and as a result people decide not to use it. I recently made a journey from the northside to the southside of Dublin, where I had to use the bus, and then the DART. I had to purchase two tickets at two different stages. Obviously, the provision of a single ticket for the entire journey would make it cheaper and simpler and thus encourage more people to use it.
An announcement has just been made about the provision on an interconnector under Transport 21. What an interconnector will do is allow the different forms of public transport to link up between the heavy rail system and the Luas. The thinking behind it is so clear that if we allow these forms of public transport to link up, more people will use it. That capital project will run into billions but for a fraction of that amount, which could be measured in the single tens of millions, we would make it more attractive and simpler for the public to use the different forms of transport that are available. Given the significant environment benefit of greater use of public transport, and ensuring that capital infrastructure is better used and the money is spent more efficiently, this seems to be the most obvious thing to do in the Dublin region. I am disappointed that integrated ticketing for public transport is not available and I would appreciate if the Minister would give us up-to-date information on what will happen next.
Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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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 Ãtha Cliath, Bus Ãireann, larnród Ãireann, 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 â¬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 Ãireann and Bus Ãtha 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 Ãtha Cliath, Luas and Mortons. It will be extended to larnród Ãireann, Dart and commuter rail services within the following year. Bus Ãireann has agreed to commence a trial project on one of its commuter routes. Full roll-out will be completed within four years.