Public Transport Minister, Alan Kelly, along with the National Transport Authority (NTA) officially launched Leap Card on 12 December 2011. This is new integrated transport ticketing system for the Greater Dublin Area and consists of a reusable plastic smart card that can be used instead of paper tickets to pay-as-you-go for transport in Dublin.  It can be used on the Luas, Dart, Commuter Rail in the Dublin Area and all Dublin Bus Service (including Airlink, Xpresso and Nitelink).

The Leap Card offers passengers value and convenience with every transaction. It is easy to use and is hassle-free because it doesn’t require public transport users to have the correct change or lots of coins to hand. It’s also quicker with no more queuing at ticket machines for single tickets on Luas, DART and Commuter Rail Services. It’s safer because public transport users can top up online and can report their card lost or stolen so that no one else can use it. With Dublin Bus, Luas, DART and Commuter Rail Services all being on board, public transport users can travel around Dublin as it suits them, without having to buy a specific ticket in advance.

At the launch, Minister Alan Kelly TD, described it as a great boost for commuters. He said: “The Leap Card will be among the cheapest ways to get around Dublin and will make public transport more attractive. The testing period produced over 15,000 successful journeys and very positive feedback so now the Leap Card can go live,”

For detailed information on fares and other aspects of Leap Card, please visit www.leapcard.ie.