Dublin Bus "Scholar" vs Irish Rail "Scholar"

n97 mini

Why are both of these treated completely differently by DB and IE, down to needing separate ID/smart cards?

Why can't there be a CIE combined ID and smart card?

Travel times are different too...

DB: "Valid to and from secondary school up to 17:00hrs (Monday - Friday) & up to 13:30hrs on Saturday"

IE: "valid up to 7pm, Mon-Fri only."

They don't even use the same clock, i.e. 24 hr vs 12 hr.

Dravokivich

That'd be a question for NTA really, as opposed to Dublin Bus and Irish Rail. I don't understand why they didn't do a leap card for teenagers going to school that are 16+. they've already got one done for adolescents.

LXFlyer

This probably goes back ages and ages - as Drakovich says it's one of those anomalies that one would hope that LEAP will address as additional functionality is rolled out.

hardCopy

Used to be a pain leaving rugby, swimming, supervised study after 6pm and having to gamble on the bus driver letting you away with school fare.

Grandeeod

The NTA inherited this "anomaly". It's a classic example of how the CIE group failed to make it work.

n97 mini

Why are the NTA perpetuating this anomaly? And is expecting it to be sorted by the private sector via Leap (i.e. HP) rather than sorting it out themselves really acceptable?

LXFlyer

It's nothing to so with HP - they don't decide hours of operation of tickets or what card is used.

That is for the NTA to decide in tandem with the operators. The NTA manage LEAP. HP merely provide the backend.

Bear in mind that there are not armies of staff in the NTA available to do this and frankly other matters have in all probability taken priority.

From what I can see much of the focus last year was on trying to standardise Irish Rail standard intercity fares and eliminating anomalies.

n97 mini

I'd say it would take someone in the NTA all of 5 mins, and 2 emails, one to IE the other to DB.

LXFlyer

Sigh. And so would so many of the other things that need sorting.

As I said it is in all probability on the list but well down in terms of priority.

n97 mini

Seriously, I know you will defend the NTA, IE and DB to the ends of the earth, but this is so simple to sort out that there is no defending it.

Dravokivich

He's not defending them. Even if the times for scholar fares were just to be brought in line (without a leapcard being implemented for 16+), it requires a software update which goes out on a phased and very long pilot basis for both Dublin Bus and Irish Rail.

The only thing quick, is talking about it. Dublin Bus and Irish Rail have got quite a bit on now as it is, from what NTA have said they are looking to do, regarding currently testing auto topup, which is ongoing throughout the scheme. Dublin Bus are also showing signs of testing fare capping, or at least rolling out software to support it.

All this requires work on their various ticket checking / fare / tagging machines. To put other work on while doing it will make it nuisance to bug fix what's already being tested, while potential bugs are thrown in with that. On the basis that it's "quick."

n97 mini

Queue thanks from lx...

There is nothing to stop DB from accepting IE scholar smart cards as Photo ID right now. Both have photos, and the DB card is not machine readable, it's just a Photo ID. If you qualify for an IE smart card you qualify for a DB Photo ID card.

Dravokivich

I didn't post that for thanks from lxflyer or anyone else. I was just demonstrating what he was trying to explain.

The issue presented with different scholar ID's between Irish Rail and Dublin Bus is a non-issue, as most kids are likely to need one or the other and already covered by the anon child card and the 12-15 childcard by Leap. What's been missed is a 16+ card, but it seems to be expected the Student Travel Card will take that, only without scholar fare rates. The only way for a proper 16+ card to be brought in, is for it to be shown to be wanted. And it's by no means going to be a quick fix, to get one implemented.

monument

n97 mini wrote: »

Seriously, I know you will defend the NTA, IE and DB to the ends of the earth, but this is so simple to sort out that there is no defending it.

n97 mini wrote: »

Queue thanks from lx...

There is nothing to stop DB from accepting IE scholar smart cards as Photo ID right now. Both have photos, and the DB card is not machine readable, it's just a Photo ID. If you qualify for an IE smart card you qualify for a DB Photo ID card.

Play the ball and not the man! Stop personalising the discussion of expect to take at least a few days off.

- moderator