John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 152: To ask the Minister for Transport when integrated ticketing, that will include the Luas, will be available to public transport users in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32190/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The proposed contactless smartcard-based integrated ticketing system, for which the Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, was given statutory responsibility, is, in line with international experience, being introduced on a phased basis, initially in the Dublin area. In advance of the introduction of full smartcard technologies, magnetic strip based integrated ticketing already exists for travel on Luas, Dublin Bus and Irish Rail services on a bilateral basis between the companies. A ticket for travelling on the services of both Luas and a private operator, Morton's Coaches, has also recently been finalised.

As part of the phased introduction of smartcard based integrated ticketing, in April 2004 Morton's Coaches, in conjunction with the RPA and as a "proof of concept", successfully launched smartcards on its services. Last March, another step was taken with the launch of smartcards on Luas services. To date, approximately 9,000 smartcards have been purchased for use on Luas services. The Luas smartcard deployment is helping to obtain important feedback from passengers and provide operational experience for the next stage of integrated ticketing.

Following an inconclusive procurement procedure earlier this year for the selection of an integrated ticketing provider and operator, the RPA commenced work on a revised procurement strategy. The finalisation of that procurement strategy will assist the RPA in determining a revised target implementation date.