Leap card distribution expanded (hahaaaa) to An Post / Point Point Outlets

Crazy decision, most in Dublin City close for lunch too.

Pretty much every shop in Dublin does Leap card it's an absolute disgrace unless every Payzone outlet becomes a postpoint outlet. We are supposed to be encouraged people to use public transport not making it more awkward for them.

I'd say fair enough but the Leap Card which was excellent when it first launched has gone to sh1t at least on my phone to point I've given up on using it and gone back to topping up in shops it isn't a huge inconvenience as there's literally a shop on the walk on the 5 minute walk from my house to the bus stop.

I'd say fair enough scaling back the network if we were at the stage where contactless cards were being accepted on public transport which is another thing that's taking way too long.

Makes me wonder are the NTA moving to a cheaper provider to offset cost of the recent fare reductions and the losses due to covid in general. They have some audacity to call this an improvement.

1. Not everyone is a regular user

2. Not everyone has a phone with NFC

3. Not everyone has a credit/debit card (-18s especially)

4. If the app does not work at least the back up option of payzone outlets are there.

5. Some people may not have enough memory in their phone to download the app could be an issue if they also fall into category 1

All of the above are possible reasons for people not utilising auto top up and/or the Top up app. Would you prefer if people in the categories above cause further issues with bus dwell times issue by paying in cash or decided against using public transport. They would save more money if they eliminated cash payments on buses by the start of 2023 and kept payzone on board.

And I forgot to mention the issue of buying a new Leap card (which stupidly can't be done at a Luas TVM but that's another story) in case one is lost or stolen.

This adds a spanner to the works of making buses cashless imo by making it more awkward to buy and top up a Leap card without using an app.

Even though the vast majority of people who use TFL now use contactless payments the Oyster card remains very much in circulation as an alternative for an albeit ever diminishing minority of people who do not use bank cards for whatever reason.

I apologise if I appear to be ranting but this just appears to be the NTA taking two steps forward one step back, fixing what isn't broken and causing confusion as usual.

Don't get me wrong expanding Leap to Local Link is a very much a good move and it's good to see these services becoming a more formal method of public transport. However this move is very much overshadowed by this negative move and as I've previously stated the NTA have some audacity to try and pass this a positive move and they particularly outline rural areas as benefitting from this despite the push to close rural post offices in recent years payzone outlets would be much more beneficial to these areas.

That's what I reckon too but there are ways to save money that don't make cause potential inconvience to passengers.

There were some shops charging a surcharge a couple of years back but this was put a stop afaik. The idea of shops doing it is so people who go in to top up a Leap card might also pick up a packet of crisps, gum or sweets when their in and stop people going to the competition if they do Leap.

Couldn't shops that wish to continue doing Leap payments get staff members to use their phone with the app installed and a card then take payment for it. I wonder would the NTA have a problem with this.

Zero (actually negative) margin in doing that.