Luas Smart Card / Future Integrated Ticketing Card Over priced!

d-j-k

I noticed that the contactless smart card offered for the LUAS is completely over priced.

10 euro for the card, which includes 3 euro pre-loaded credit. So, the card costs 7 euro!?

Unless the smart card fairs are heavily discounted there's no way that the average LUAS (or Dublin Bus) customer is going to pay 7 euro for the "privilage" of having a smart card.

ITS (www.rpa.ie/ITS) seems like a great opportunity to improve things. I sincerely hope they don't mess it up!

I also hope that the system isn't only implemented in Dublin. It would be great to finally see some electronic ticketing on busses / commuter rail in Cork.

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On another point:

Why do CIE busses still collect fares at the door? It doesn't matter wheather they're magnetic card based or coin based they create a queue and cause the bus to sit blocking traffic for much longer than is necessary. (This is particularly true in Cork where there are no cards and narrower streets)

In most other european countries passangers board and validate their prepaid cards / tickets at a reader in the bus and this appears to work perfectly well.

CIE (Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann and Iarnrod Eireann) seem to be completely obcessed with checking, rechecking, punching and examining tickets.

E.g. why does the Intercity service between Dublin and Cork force passangers to queue and go through a barrier where their tickets are checked and then subject them to on-board ticket inspections again anyway!?

Seems like total overkill?

CIE obviously don't trust the public AT ALL.

murphaph

d-j-k wrote:

10 euro for the card, which includes 3 euro pre-loaded credit. So, the card costs 7 euro!?

Wrong. Card costs €10. Made up of; €3 credit, €4 minimum reserve (refundable on return of card), €3 cost of card.

d-j-k wrote:

CIE obviously don't trust the public AT ALL.

Would you? I see your point. The honour system has massive advantages, but it only works if there is a LOT of random checks and HEAVY standard fares for those caught abusing the system....like Luas!

kenmc

No the card costs 3 euro. There's 4 euro reserve built in which allows you to make a journey if you only have 10 cents. which is also refundable when you give back in your card.
edit
to be honest though even if it did cost 7 euro i'd still probably use it, cos i don't use the luas often enuff to get a weekly or monthly ticket, but still use it a couple of times a week. And this will save me having to wait behind muppets who think the ticket machine is a bloody playstation, as they head home from their big day out shopping in dundrum.

jlang

To encourage people to start using them, they should waive the EUR3 card cost for the first few months.

Capt'n Midnight

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_Card

Refunding an Octopus card

Octopus cards are highly popular with tourists (including day-travellers from Shenzhen and the rest of Mainland China), which explains how there are twice as many Octopus cards in circulation as there are people living in Hong Kong. Surveys by the MTR show that this is because the card is fully refundable, except for a HK$7 (USD 0.90) administrative charge for cards refunded within 3 months after issue, which was introduced on November 1, 2004. (For personalised cards the charge is HK$10 (USD 1.28), for cards issued after November 1, 2004 or those refunded within five years of issue.)