Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 72: To ask the Minister for Transport the position regarding the integrated ticketing scheme in the greater Dublin area; the amount that has been spent on this project to date; the total estimated cost of the project; when integrated ticketing will become fully operational and the services and company that it will initially involve in the GDA; the name of the new Oyster card system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26852/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The integrated ticketing project is being introduced in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) on a phased basis, based on smart card technology. A progressive approach is being adopted to allow customers to familiarise themselves with using the new system and to permit transport operators to undertake the necessary testing with the integration of the technologies involved. The project is now firmly in the implementation phase and extensive testing of elements of the system is already underway.

Subject to successful completion of the testing that is currently in train, a number of Dublin Bus and Luas annual pass-holders will be invited to participate in a customer pilot from late Summer. This will be followed later in the year by similar testing for ePurse (pay-as-you-go) users of Dublin Bus and Luas services. The pay-as-you-go system will be fully launched when this testing proves that the entire system is sufficiently robust. When this system goes live, it will facilitate cashless travel on services of participating operators, Dublin Bus and Luas initially. The integrated smart card will subsequently be rolled out to cover services provided by private bus operators, Irish Rail (DART and commuter rail) and Bus Éireann following completion of the necessary development, testing and commissioning of their systems. Testing and roll-out for these service providers will commence in early 2011.

The overall capital budget for the integrated ticketing project is €55.4 million. This expenditure encompasses project management, design and development costs and operator contributions for the development of the single smart card. To date €31.8 million has been spent on the project. The name and branding of the integrated ticketing smart card is being developed by the Project Team in the Railway Procurement Agency and will be announced closer to the launch of the scheme.