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Return Airlink fare

km991148

Does anyone know for sure how if and how its possible to buy a return on the Airlink with a Leap card

I use the service a few times per week. I got a leap card to save managing paper tickets, but no driver seems to be able to correctly add a return.

One driver did take 10eur form the card one time, but since then no other bus has been able to activate the return (either due to equipment failure or drivers not knowing what to do).

I get mixed responses, including one driver from this morning who told me "Its only 1 euro difference" and then when asked again for a new return "I cant work that, if you want to wait for the next bus go ahead") - it might only be 1 eur per journey, but the drivers are currently striking for far less than 20% of a difference..

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coylemj

It's an unusual service from the perspective of fares because according to the DB website, there is no discount for using a Leap card - €6 single cash and Leap, €10 return.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/Fares-and-Tickets/Adult/

I've never heard of Leap being able to handle a return ticket for a specific journey, it's typically used to hold a cash balance for 'pay as you go' usage or time based tickets like 30 day, annual etc.

bg07

You can purchase 2 journey airline tickets on the your leapcard account online and choose to load them to the card via the app or in a payzone shop etc. Presumably you can buy them directly in payzone shops as well.

Vic_08

bg07 wrote: »

You can purchase 2 journey airline tickets on the your leapcard account online and choose to load them to the card via the app or in a payzone shop etc. Presumably you can buy them directly in payzone shops as well.

or just buy the paper one from the bus driver if they cannot issue it on Leap.

km991148

This is even more confusing then..

Inside the airport they said a return is possible. I had a driver add one (I am 90% sure) to the card. Another driver said the return leg can only be taken from the drivers machine, another 2 that the validator would auto deduct it from the card (it never did) and several that said they didn't know wtf I was talking about!

coylemj

bg07 wrote: »

You can purchase 2 journey airline tickets on the your leapcard account online and choose to load them to the card via the app or in a payzone shop etc. Presumably you can buy them directly in payzone shops as well.

+1 Just checked that now on www.leapcard.ie and it's a ticket called 'Airlink-City centre return - Adult' and costs €10.

You can't buy the ticket using the Android app, you have to use a web browser to login to your Leap account, then click on 'Buy' (not top-up) as if you're buying a new Leap card.

Set the 'Card Type' to 'Adult' or as appropriate. Ignore the field 'Top-Up Travel Credit (€)' and tick the box: 'Check this box if you want to add a ticket to the Leap Card.' You will then be offered fields where you can select the 'Transport operator' which you set to 'Dublin Bus' and the travel ticket menu will then show the Airlink return ticket for €10.

km991148

coylemj wrote: »

+1 Just checked that now on www.leapcard.ie and it's a ticket called 'Airlink-City centre return - Adult' and costs €10.

You can't do this on the Android app, you have to use a web browser to login to your Leap account, then click on 'Buy' (not top-up) as if you're buying a new Leap card.

Set the 'Card Type' to 'Adult' or as appropriate. Ignore the field 'Top-Up Travel Credit (€)' and tick the box: 'Check this box if you want to add a ticket to the Leap Card.' You will then be offered fields where you can select the 'Transport operator' which you set to 'Dublin Bus' and the travel ticket menu will then show the Airlink return ticket for €10.

Thanks for confirming.

So assuming I want o go to that hassle everytime I want to buy a ticket (and I guess I need to use some sort of nfc device to get it on the ticket) - how do I actually use it - on the validator or on the drivers machine?

Or are you saying if its available on the website, then drivers must be able to issue it as well?

coylemj

km991148 wrote: »

So assuming I want o go to that hassle everytime I want to buy a ticket (and I guess I need to use some sort of nfc device to get it on the ticket) - how do I actually use it - on the validator or on the drivers machine?

Sorry, I don't know - why not lash off an e-mail to customer.care@leapcard.ie or call them at (01) 517 1528 and ask them?

km991148 wrote: »

Or are you saying if its available on the website, then drivers must be able to issue it as well?

I never suggested anything of the sort!

km991148

coylemj wrote: »

Sorry, I don't know - why not lash off an e-mail to customer.care@leapcard.ie or call them at (01) 517 1528 and ask them?

heh - well this is the case I have asked several db staff and barely two answers match up..

coylemj wrote: »

I never suggested anything of the sort!

ye - that was more wishful thinking on my part - I dont know how this system works in cases like this

coylemj

km991148 wrote: »

heh - well this is the case I have asked several db staff and barely two answers match up..

We have a poster on this forum called LXFLYER, he will answer that question next time he swings by here.

km991148

coylemj wrote: »

We have a poster on this forum called LXFLYER, he will answer that question next time he swings by here.

cool - back on it tonight as well - so will see what happens then

km991148

ok, talking to a driver last night - it appears there is no option to add a return to the leap card.

I am quite sure that 10 eur was deducted from my card previously. Maybe the driver hit the print version tho and I never got the ticket..

Anyway - it seems that for the slight convenience of not carrying cash it costs 20% more to use the leap on the Airlink. Once the balance runs out I wont be using it.

Ben D Bus

km991148 wrote: »

I use the service a few times per week.

In that case, would a Rambler ticket or a Monthly Travelwide not suit you better? The Rambler is for non-consecutive days so you only need to use it on days you use the Airlink.

LXFlyer

You can only load a return Airlink ticket either on the LEAP website or from a LEAP card payzone agent.

You cannot load it from a driver's ticket machine as it is a ticket product rather than a single fare.

If you buy it online you have to get it loaded onto the card at a LEAP Card load location in other words a Payzone agent, or the reader at the front of Dublin Bus HQ. Just ask the agent to do a balance enquiry and it will load the ticket onto the card.

The driver's ticket machine is not live and as such cannot load a ticket onto the card.

You can however buy a paper return ticket from the driver or a prepaid ticket at the Spar shop in the airport or from Dublin Bus HQ.

As another poster suggests, a 30 day rambler ticket would be a more sensible option as it offers 30 non-consecutive days travel and is valid on all Dublin Bus routes including the 747 and 757. It costs €153 which is €5.10 per day and might make more sense. Again this can only be loaded onto your LEAP card via a payzone agent.

If you have loaded a ticket onto the card, the validator on the right will read the ticket rather than taking the money from the e-purse.

km991148

Thanks for clearing that up - it seems Dublin Bus have some training to do here as no one was able to give this level of answer.

lxflyer wrote: »

As another poster suggests, a 30 day rambler ticket would be a more sensible option as it offers 30 non-consecutive days travel and is valid on all Dublin Bus routes including the 747 and 757.

If I buy this, does it automatically get activated if I use a regular bus service, or can I still choose to buy a normal fare - i.e. if I am using a bus to go to into town @2.05 I can choose to pay the 2eur and not a whole rambler day?

Ben D Bus wrote: »

In that case, would a Rambler ticket or a Monthly Travelwide not suit you better? The Rambler is for non-consecutive days so you only need to use it on days you use the Airlink.

Should have said - up to a few times - some weeks 2 or 3 times then not at all for another couple. The 30 day rambler may seem the best fit. It still works out more expensive than the paper ticket tho (only slightly)

LXFlyer

If you load a 30 day rambler ticket onto the card, then if you want to use a day off it, you should use the right hand validator. If, on the other hand, you want to use the epurse to pay-as-you-go, then you have to go to the driver's ticket machine and request the fare.

This thread should explain most questions re LEAP:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057567639

km991148

so - a follow up for anyone else in the same situation:

Since posting this I have encountered a few drivers who put the return ticket directly on the leap card from the drivers machine.

It shows as a leap card ticket sale, followed immediately by a ticket use for the same time (on the leap card site).
Once loaded, you can then tag against the validator the next time and the return ticket is used.

Unfortunately not all drivers are aware of this, including one Ar$ehole last night who was calling me a liar and telling me the above was impossible. Is there any useful way of contacting DB to have them improve their driver training and / or get a refund on all the tickets I was forced to buy through ignorance.

liger

km991148 wrote: »

Is there any useful way of contacting DB to have them improve their driver training and / or get a refund on all the tickets I was forced to buy through ignorance.

On every bus there is a notice just behind the driver with phone, email and possibly twitter contact details for how to connect with DB. They would be happy to hear from you about the issues you have encountered. And if you don't contact them..... don't expect things to magically improve.

lucernarian

lxflyer wrote: »

You can only load a return Airlink ticket either on the LEAP website or from a LEAP card payzone agent.

You cannot load it from a driver's ticket machine as it is a ticket product rather than a single fare.

If you buy it online you have to get it loaded onto the card at a LEAP Card load location in other words a Payzone agent, or the reader at the front of Dublin Bus HQ. Just ask the agent to do a balance enquiry and it will load the ticket onto the card.

The driver's ticket machine is not live and as such cannot load a ticket onto the card.

I'm pretty sure the wayfarer machines do allow it on the 747 route - just not 100% sure as its been a while.

They also allow for Tours tickets to be bought but I forget if it can be directly loaded on the leap card, rather than a printed ticket being issued. Again these are capabilities which only extend to the commercial services AFAIK.

km991148

lucernarian wrote: »

I'm pretty sure the wayfarer machines do allow it on the 747 route - just not 100% sure as its been a while.

They 100% do allow it - I have had a few of them now.

Its frustrating tho - its taken a few months to work this out by questioning different members of DB staff - then when I work it out, I am still denied access to the ticket (i.e. like the other day when I asked for a return and the driver whacked the "single" button anyway through ignorance - and then said I was lying about having had one ffs!)

liger wrote: »

On every bus there is a notice just behind the driver with phone, email and possibly twitter contact details for how to connect with DB. They would be happy to hear from you about the issues you have encountered. And if you don't contact them..... don't expect things to magically improve.

I will raise this with DB (I dont care for reporting an individual driver etc) as it is a pain in the hole to go through this nonsense every time - not to mention the 20 quid or so I am down from not being given the correct ticket. But I want to make sure I am not wasting my time reporting this to the wrong depot or to some place where no action will be taken.