Leap Card fare prices?

Captain Chaos

I have just purchased a Leap card as it says you can save up to 18%. But reading the small print it is only 18% off standard single fare tickets.

The question I have is this. I use the DART every day. A return ticket costs me €3.10 but if I were to buy a single ticket at each end it's €1.80 per trip. I save 50c getting a return.

Now if I use the Leap card, will the leap card charge me the return rate or as two single trips. If it's the latter which I suspect it is then it will cost me more to use the Leap card than a cash return ticket.

Where is the point or am I missing something here.

foggy_lad

Captain Chaos wrote: »

I have just purchased a Leap card as it says you can save up to 18%. But reading the small print it is only 18% off standard single fare tickets.

The question I have is this. I use the DART every day. A return ticket costs me €3.10 but if I were to buy a single ticket at each end it's €1.80 per trip. I save 50c getting a return.

Now if I use the Leap card, will the leap card charge me the return rate or as two single trips. If it's the latter which I suspect it is then it will cost me more to use the Leap card than a cash return ticket.

Where is the point or am I missing something here.

You are not missing anything, it is the whole leapcard system that is seriously lacking!

The leap card is only an E-Purse which can only be used for SINGLE fare journeys as it can't be used to buy a return journey or can't recognise when you have undertaken a return journey on the dart or commuter train.

Generally most return tickets and seasonal tickets and even the Travel90 tickets on the bus are a lot cheaper than the leapcard fares.

noelfirl

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Now if I use the Leap card, will the leap card charge me the return rate or as two single trips. If it's the latter which I suspect it is then it will cost me more to use the Leap card than a cash return ticket.

Where is the point or am I missing something here.

You are correct, it will charge you two single fares, as it is not set up (yet) for return fares or fare capping or ticket loading.

However, according to the Irish Rail website, if the cash fare for an equivalent DART journey is €1.80, the equivalent Leap fare is €1.50. Therefore, two Leap singles will be slightly cheaper at €3.00 then a cash return at €3.10.

djPSB

some balls of a system.

Ya'd think they would do it right if they were going to do it at all.

davidlacey

topping up the leap card is a fiasco too... its done seemingly to put customers off rather than to get them on board

etchyed

noelfirl wrote: »

However, according to the Irish Rail website, if the cash fare for an equivalent DART journey is €1.80, the equivalent Leap fare is €1.50. Therefore, two Leap singles will be slightly cheaper at €3.00 then a cash return at €3.10.

This.

Leap is a undoubtedly a mess, with fare capping and period tickets yet to arrive, despite them being promised as "coming soon" six months ago.

But in fairness, a day return is never cheaper than two Leap singles on Luas/DART/Commuter Rail, making this...

foggy_lad wrote: »

Generally most return tickets... are a lot cheaper than the leapcard fares.

... plain wrong.

It's true, however, that many Dublin Bus customers, in particular infrequent travellers, would be far better off with a Travel 90 ticket.

Mint Sauce

Couple of questions I have struggled to find an answer to.

1) For infrequent users, say day or weekend trippers, is there a daily cap? i.e, once you complete x amount of bus journeys or luas trips in one day, you are only charged say the same as a one day travel ticket.

2) If you are changing trams at an interchange stop on the same line, do you have to touch in and out at the interchange stop? Closest answer I can find to this is only if your moving from red to green line or visa versa where you touch out, and then touch in again after you have walked to the other line.

Dravokivich

irish-stew wrote: »

Couple of questions I have struggled to find an answer to.

1) For infrequent users, say day or weekend trippers, is there a daily cap? i.e, once you complete x amount of bus journeys or luas trips in one day, you are only charged say the same as a one day travel ticket.

Planning / testing what have ya, not released yet.

irish-stew wrote: »

2) If you are changing trams at an interchange stop on the same line, do you have to touch in and out at the interchange stop? Closest answer I can find to this is only if your moving from red to green line or visa versa where you touch out, and then touch in again after you have walked to the other line.

No interchanges in Dublin But you must touch on/off with every instance of boarding / getting off a Luas and entering / leaving a train station.

Captain Chaos

irish-stew wrote: »

Couple of questions I have struggled to find an answer to.

1) For infrequent users, say day or weekend trippers, is there a daily cap? i.e, once you complete x amount of bus journeys or luas trips in one day, you are only charged say the same as a one day travel ticket.

2) If you are changing trams at an interchange stop on the same line, do you have to touch in and out at the interchange stop? Closest answer I can find to this is only if your moving from red to green line or visa versa where you touch out, and then touch in again after you have walked to the other line.

1) It's in the works, coming soon. The usual stuff, could be a year again it's set up. You are better off with a one day rambler ticket right now.

2) Only tag on and off at your start and end point of your trip. If going from green to red you need to tag off on one before you start using the other as it's not really changing trams at the same stop.

Mint Sauce

Dravokivich wrote: »

Planning / testing what have ya, not released yet.


No interchanges in Dublin But you must touch on/off with every instance of boarding / getting off a Luas and entering / leaving a train station.

Busaras, Belgard on the Red Line?

Captain Chaos

Dravokivich wrote: »

But you must touch on/off with every instance of boarding / getting off a Luas

No, not on the red line, if you get on at the Point and tag on and want to go to City West but the tram is going to Tallaght you can get off a Bellgard and boards the next tram for City West and tag of there. Do not tag off and on again at Belgard as it will cost more.

Captain Chaos

irish-stew wrote: »

Busaras, Belgard on the Red Line?

Yep.

Dravokivich

Captain Chaos wrote: »

No, not on the red line, if you get on at the Point and tag on and want to go to City West but the tram is going to Tallaght you can get off a Bellgard and boards the next tram for City West and tag of there. Do not tag off and on again at Belgard as it will cost more.

Doesn't the Luas for city west also depart from the Point? What's the point in going 2/3's of your journey to get a luas you could of gotten at the start? :pac:

Mint Sauce

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Yep.

I was pointing them out as an interchange stop, and wondering if there was a need to touch in/out when changing there, but last post has annswered question.

Captain Chaos

Dravokivich wrote: »

Doesn't the Luas for city west also depart from the Point? What's the point in going 2/3's of your journey to get a luas you could of gotten at the start? :pac:

It does on some services, depends on the timetable. I just picked the Point as a start point.

Like today, I got a DART from Killester to Malahide. The first DART to arrive was going to Howth so I took that and changed at Howth Junction instead of waiting for 30mins at Killester and waited for 15mins in HJ instead. Same thing.

foggy_lad

irish-stew wrote: »

Couple of questions I have struggled to find an answer to.

1) For infrequent users, say day or weekend trippers, is there a daily cap? i.e, once you complete x amount of bus journeys or luas trips in one day, you are only charged say the same as a one day travel ticket.

Short answer is NO, This functionality is planned but therre are other fish to fry before things like daily or weekly capping are a priority.

2) If you are changing trams at an interchange stop on the same line, do you have to touch in and out at the interchange stop? Closest answer I can find to this is only if your moving from red to green line or visa versa where you touch out, and then touch in again after you have walked to the other line.

You only need to tag off and back on if you are going from one line to another so from green to red or from red to green, otherwise if changing tram at Belgard you just tag off at your destination as normal.

LXFlyer

Dravokivich wrote: »

Doesn't the Luas for city west also depart from the Point? What's the point in going 2/3's of your journey to get a luas you could of gotten at the start? :pac:

Early morning and evenings there are Belgard-Citywest shuttles. Times vary depending on the day of the week.

COYW

Ok, just want to double check this. I will be travelling in and out of Dublin city centre from Leixlip 5 days a week or more from next week onwards. A weekly/monthly train ticket is still the most cost effective way to do this, as opposed to these leap cards. I cannot get/load a weekly/monthly pass on one of these cards.

Victor

Dravokivich wrote: »

Doesn't the Luas for city west also depart from the Point? What's the point in going 2/3's of your journey to get a luas you could of gotten at the start? :pac:

Saggart trams normally leave from Connolly. When Connolly closes in the evening, most services to Saggart will be shuttles from Belgard.

COYW wrote: »

Ok, just want to double check this. I will be travelling in and out of Dublin city centre from Leixlip 5 days a week or more from next week onwards. A weekly/monthly train ticket is still the most cost effective way to do this, as opposed to these leap cards. I cannot get/load a weekly/monthly pass on one of these cards.

For the moment, you will need to buy a separate weekly/monthly ticket. Shop around, based on your needs. Note www.taxsaver.ie

For the moment, Leap Cards are for occasional users.