Does anyone know what the story is with the new travel passes??

Cmc29

I only heard briefly that they will be getting in new travel passes with chips in them. Anyone have any more info on this?

lostexpectation

i don't think so

markpb

I read that somewhere too. DB are (apparently) going to move from paper passes to smart card passes, just like their regular prepaid tickets have. This should make them harder to forge as well as giving DB an accurate audit of their use so they can bill DSW properly. At the moment it's a fixed amount agreed between DSW and DoT and paid annually regardless of use.

KC61

Cmc29 wrote: »

I only heard briefly that they will be getting in new travel passes with chips in them. Anyone have any more info on this?

"They" being who exactly?

Which travel passes are you referring to?

With regard to Dublin Bus, the following tickets are now available in Smart Card format:

Annual Bus travelwide
Annual Bus & Rail short hop
Annual Bus & LUAS
Travelwide Adult Monthly
Bus & LUAS Adult Monthly
Rambler 5 day
Rambler 30 day
Travel 90

As a point to note, the rambler 5 day smart card , can be used on any 5 days, they do not have to be consecutive, as can the 30 day rambler ticket be used on any 30 days prior to the expiry date printed on the ticket.

L1011

Does the OP possibly mean the new 'state ID' thats going to replace social welfare cards, drug payment cards, etc - AND replace the social welfare travel passes along with it?

Cmc29

MYOB that must be it. As i said i don't know anything about it so any more info would be great. Thanks

Victor

KC61 wrote: »

As a point to note, the rambler 5 day smart card , can be used on any 5 days, they do not have to be consecutive, as can the 30 day rambler ticket be used on any 30 days prior to the expiry date printed on the ticket.

O_o, you do mean the 5-day ticket, not hte book of 5 x 1-day tickets?

Cmc29

I am referring to free travel passes

KC61

Victor wrote: »

O_o, you do mean the 5-day ticket, not hte book of 5 x 1-day tickets?

Yes I do

The 5 x 1 day ticketbooks are no more!!!

Cmc29

Free travel pass you get on disability allowance

monument

From the Irish Times on Wednesday... Photo ID cards may face cash constraint delays.

LiamD

KC61 wrote: »

"They" being who exactly?

Which travel passes are you referring to?

With regard to Dublin Bus, the following tickets are now available in Smart Card format:

Annual Bus travelwide
Annual Bus & Rail short hop
Annual Bus & LUAS
Travelwide Adult Monthly
Bus & LUAS Adult Monthly
Rambler 5 day
Rambler 30 day
Travel 90

As a point to note, the rambler 5 day smart card , can be used on any 5 days, they do not have to be consecutive, as can the 30 day rambler ticket be used on any 30 days prior to the expiry date printed on the ticket.

Do you know if the Dublin Bus student monthly Bus & Luas / Student 7 day Bus tickets will be smartcard or continue to be the paper tickets? And if they are, will the same rules regarding consecutive days apply?

Thanks

KC61

LiamD wrote: »

Do you know if the Dublin Bus student monthly Bus & Luas / Student 7 day Bus tickets will be smartcard or continue to be the paper tickets? And if they are, will the same rules regarding consecutive days apply?

Thanks

I would imagine that the student range of monthly and weekly tickets will also get a smartchip inserted before the colleges go back.

The tickets are all the same basic design as before, but contain a smartchip inside.

I'm not sure as yet whether the same rule re consecutive days will apply.

Alun

KC61 wrote: »

As a point to note, the rambler 5 day smart card , can be used on any 5 days, they do not have to be consecutive, as can the 30 day rambler ticket be used on any 30 days prior to the expiry date printed on the ticket.

So you only get one physical card then, rather than a book of them? Does this also apply to the Travel90's? I bought some just yesterday and they were still the old book of 5 magnetic stripe cards, but I guess it'll take some time for the old stuff to sell, and the newer cards to filter through into the various outlets,

The only disadvantage I can see is that it'll be difficult to keep track of how many times you'd used the card, and when it was going to run out, especially if you only use it very infrequently (like I do)

inforfun

Alun wrote: »

The only disadvantage I can see is that it'll be difficult to keep track of how many times you'd used the card, and when it was going to run out, especially if you only use it very infrequently (like I do)

I imagine that the "gadget" in the bus where you put your ticket agaisnt, has a display telling you how many days there are left on your ticket?
Otherwise it is indeed almost impossible to keep track on the amount left.
Did i use 16 or 17 days??

KC61

inforfun wrote: »

I imagine that the "gadget" in the bus where you put your ticket agaisnt, has a display telling you how many days there are left on your ticket?
Otherwise it is indeed almost impossible to keep track on the amount left.
Did i use 16 or 17 days??

Correct!

Alun

KC61 wrote: »

Correct!

Great!

Now all we need is for DB to put this information up on their website

AlekSmart

The "Chipped" new generation cards will give a read out on the Validator of how many days/journeys remain on it.
In addition if the card is proffered to the Driver he/she can print out a ticket which will provide a hard copy of the current balance/status of the card.

The Social Welfare situation is somewhat more complex,as yet again we are faced with a scenario where several Government Departments have spent literally years fighting their own battles whilst the "Greater Good" principle has lain forgotten in the dirt.

The late Michael McDonnell when Chairman of CIE was perhaps the first CIE senior manager to take a close look at the long standing "Arrangement" which existed between the Department of Social Welfare and CIE as a whole.

I suspect what he found must have concentrated his mind for he moved swiftly to introduce a Ticket exchange policy for Rail travel which at a stroke allowed for accurate costing of what is a VERY comprehensive and expensive benefit.

The old "Lump Sum" Social Welfare Free Travel Scheme provision worked well for decades.
However,the arrival of the Progressive Democrat Public Transport ethos in Government meant that it`s days were numbered.

Nowhere was this more apparent than in the protracted negotiations between the Northern Ireland Office and our own agencies on the extension of the Free Travel Scheme to the 32 counties.

Here,it rapidly became apparent that the Ulster crowd had a "Senior Smartpass" in place which allowed for very accurate costing and journey monitoring indeed and all the information collected in realtime too !

This contrasted with our native piece of coloured cardboard which was designed from the outset to be forged and mass produced and which could cover as many people and journeys as the holder had confidence to demand.

The upshot of the discussions was the refusal of the NIO/Translink to get involved with any of this Butter Voucher stuff and instead the Southern folks are now required to register for their own Senior Smartpass which is very specific in it`s application,currently ONLY for Senior Citizens.

Whats happening now,down South, is the 11th hour decision in late 2007 that the Department of Social and Community Affairs WILL now issue a Chipped Pass to it`s "Customers".
This decision caused not a little consternation in the RPA/CIE and the Integrated Ticketing Board as it was somewhat unexpected and is causing further substantial delay in the eventual provision of such technological advances as are considered normal in the first world.

It should be borne in mind that the ability of the Chip will be far greater than a piece of coloured strip on a cardboard sheet and it will allow for journey and time specific Free Travel if the need or desire to restrict such becomes necessary.

Currently we are at least 2 years behind time with the basics of the electronic ticketing scheme,but the reality is we havent really left the 19th century ethos which pervades Kildare St :P

Red Alert

I guess also the free travel scheme pass would need to be 'tagged on' on the LUAS so that they'd get a proper audit of that too.

Victor

KC61 wrote: »

The 5 x 1 day ticketbooks are no more!!!

Bought one yesterday.

KC61

Victor wrote: »

Bought one yesterday.

There is obviously a stock to be run down first, but it will be phased out.

RadioCity

The upshot of the discussions was the refusal of the NIO/Translink to get involved with any of this Butter Voucher stuff

Do you mind if I use that to anyone who presents me a butter voucher on my bus?

The SmartPasses are working well in NI, theres even a half fare smart pass that magically reduces all the fares by 50% on the screen. The half fare pass is issued to those who are unable (for health reasons normally) to get a driving licence. It should be pointed out that the NI system is still open to a certain degree of fraud.

The chipped SmartPass would put an end to the "I've got a pass" nonsense so prevalent in Capital City and a zero tolerance policy be observed to anyone who fails to present a pass, something Translink makes totally clear on posters etc: forget your pass you WILL be charged the full adult fare-regardless. Also if a pass doesn't work, full adult fare gets charged. The fact that the machine works can be proven by putting your own staff pass on the reader.
If reasonably accurate data is required, DB need to take a similar approach from day one.

AlekSmart

Sadly RadioCity,The "approach" to be taken by Dublin Bus will be dictated by Political requirements rather than good governance.
I have little doubt but the words "transition period" or "discretion will be used" will appear on any media packege to be issued.

Essentially this means that the current sizeable group of chancers,spongers,misfits and putative criminals will be afforded a "second chance" as is the norm with Irish society in general..the motto being..."First,find an excuse,any excuse will do-then apply it".

Certainly the numbers of Pass Holding young regulars I am aware of will continue to drag their assorted "mots" and various social associates along with them on their vast amounts of "Free" trips to and from various off-licences.

One of these beauts managed to shake himself into life the other day to leg it for my bus,only to travel ONE stop with his lady friend.
"I`m too fccuking lazy to walk bud,sez he"........"Obviously the truth" sez I......"Don`t be fcukkin smart"sez he....at this point I made my excuses and left....:rolleyes:

Perhaps this recession is necessary in order to focus our collective attention on the need to give people some stimulus rather than goose feathers to stuff into their pillows....:eek: