Debit / Credit Cards at Busáras: why not?

Snickers Man

Why can't you buy tickets using a debit or credit card from the ticket office at Busaras?

Got the "Ah now here we can only take cash" treatment from the lone attendant on duty there on Friday evening. (Yes. Friday. 6pm peak travelling time for many. One person on the ticket desk)

My card hadn't worked in the ticket machine, which is the only reason I was bothering the man at the ticket desk in the first place. Had to race around to the ATM outside, grab my cash and then fortunately the bus driver was decent enough to accept payment on the spot. Otherwise I was going nowhere.

Why the hell can't ticket sellers in our capital's main bus station accept payment by card like any newsagent or car park? Hell even McDonald's allows you to buy your Happy Meals with a card nowadays.

It's the 21st century after all.

stop

Not sure, but one of the 3 ticket machines doesn't even have a chip & pin terminal, just swipe & go!

Mrs OBumble

I think you normally can - at least I did there a few years ago.

Maybe their lines were down, which is why your card didn't work in their machine either.

Usually card works but none of their machines would "authorise" my cards for the last couple weeks

Niles

Certainly in the past I've been able to use a debit card at the vending machines there.

Don't know if the wayfarer machines used at the actual ticket desks/on buses themselves can actually be used with a CC machine?

percy212

Tried using a credit card in a machine in athlone bus station two years ago. No go. Attendant told me to stop swiping - "you are going to break the machine". Then he eyed my usa based credit card with acute suspicion "ah shure we only take Irish cards". I asked how tourists are expected to purchase tickets from said machine - "the yanks always come on their own buses". Yep magic ocean crossing buses. The nearest atm was in the bottom of a nearby shopping centre. Missed that bus and had to wait 6.5 hours for the next one. Bought a car the following week.

howiya

Presumably some bright spark decided they could get rid of their card payment terminals when they installed the vending machines.

Do BE require you to print your ticket if you book online using your smartphone?

Niles

howiya wrote: »

Presumably some bright spark decided they could get rid of their card payment terminals when they installed the vending machines.

Do BE require you to print your ticket if you book online using your smartphone?

Funny you should ask, I thought you couldn't but saw a pull-up in Busáras yesterday saying that you could now show the confirmation on your smartphone instead of printing the confirmation. Haven't tried it myself as of yet though.

markpb

Niles wrote: »

Funny you should ask, I thought you couldn't but saw a pull-up in Busáras yesterday saying that you could now show the confirmation on your smartphone instead of printing the confirmation. Haven't tried it myself as of yet though.

Sensible move. The old system was beyond silly.

Kintarō Hattori

Bus Eireann aren't alone in this. I live out in Balbriggan and usually buy my ticket from the machine which does accept Visa/Debit cards. However when the machine is down the attendant can't accept cards and you need to have cash on you- they won't let you buy via your card.

It's very annoying as most people buy their monthly ticket via card and don't carry €130 quid in cash- so you're forced to run out of the station, up to the main street and back..... all the while hoping that you don't hear the announcement of an arriving train.

Vic_08

percy212 wrote: »

Tried using a credit card in a machine in athlone bus station two years ago. No go. Attendant told me to stop swiping - "you are going to break the machine". Then he eyed my usa based credit card with acute suspicion "ah shure we only take Irish cards". I asked how tourists are expected to purchase tickets from said machine - "the yanks always come on their own buses". Yep magic ocean crossing buses. The nearest atm was in the bottom of a nearby shopping centre. Missed that bus and had to wait 6.5 hours for the next one. Bought a car the following week.

Like it or not Chip and Pin is standard for credit and debit cards in this country (and many others across Europe.

Cards without this facility are a higher risk of fraud for the retailer and are nit accepted everywhere. Many retailers including certain large chains do not take them and that is at tills where the signature can be checked. I doubt many unmanned vending machines accept them nowadays, they would be too easy a target for scanners.

L1011

percy212 wrote: »

Tried using a credit card in a machine in athlone bus station two years ago. No go. Attendant told me to stop swiping - "you are going to break the machine". Then he eyed my usa based credit card with acute suspicion "ah shure we only take Irish cards". I asked how tourists are expected to purchase tickets from said machine - "the yanks always come on their own buses". Yep magic ocean crossing buses. The nearest atm was in the bottom of a nearby shopping centre. Missed that bus and had to wait 6.5 hours for the next one. Bought a car the following week.

Honestly, its not Bus Eireann's problem that US banks were ridiculously slow in taking up EMV and decided to faff around with their own joke attempt at PIN verification. Rest of the world managed to adopt EMV including banks in random dictator-led statelets in Africa ffs.

They will willingly accept *any* EMV card, not just "Irish cards".

Mrs OBumble

MYOB wrote: »

They will willingly accept *any* EMV card, not just "Irish cards".

Except that according to the OP, they won't. :rolleyes:

dubnozzle

It's amazing that in 2014 Bus Eireann services can't accept credit cards, when most taxis and ice-cream vans can.

I've seen tourists go from: annoyance at the airport bus being 30 minutes late without an explanation to: bewilderment and anger when told it's a 'cash-only' service.

Things will only change when Bus Eireann are forced to live in the real commercial world.