Irish bus network commissions mobile ticket payments system
Ireland’s National Transport Authority (NTA) has awarded a contract to deliver a cashless and paperless ticketing process, to be rolled out on Irish buses later this year.
The new service will enable passengers to buy, store and present tickets on their smartphones. It will be introduced as a pilot on certain Bus Éireann regional routes later in 2019, with further routes to be added on a phased basis.
The US$4m contract to supply and maintain the mobile ticketing system was awarded to Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS). The San Diego-based firm already provides mobile ticketing to several major cities across the world, including Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago, New York in the USA; Cologne in Germany; and Brisbane in Australia.
The NTA said this is the first phase of its Next Generation Ticketing programme: a project to improve customer experience on public transport by providing additional ways to purchase more flexible ticketing systems.
“We are delighted to be able to announce the award of this contract to Cubic. They have a proven track record, and their mobile ticketing system is already deployed in major cities,” director of public transport services Tim Gaston said.
Gaston also pointed out that CTS already has a contract with Iarnród Éireann, or Irish Rail. “As providers of Iarnród Éireann’s integrated ticketing management and distribution system, they are also familiar with the dynamics of public transport in Ireland,” he said.
Anne Graham, chief executive of the NTA, said: “The introduction of mobile ticketing represents a significant development in public transport ticketing in Ireland, but it is just the first of many changes in ticketing that we believe will enhance the provision of public transport across Ireland.” Laurent Eskenazi, CTA’s managing director for EMEA, said: “We are very pleased to work with the NTA to deliver a mobile ticketing system for Ireland that benefits from the in-depth experience and knowledge we’ve gained through supporting large, medium and small agencies worldwide. As the very first national mobile ticketing project for Ireland, we look forward to simplifying traveller journeys and creating a quicker and less labour-intensive ticketing process for operators.”
About Natalie Leal
Natalie is a freelance journalist whose work has been published by The Sun Online, The Guardian, Novara Media, Positive News, and Welfare Weekly, among others. She also writes reports and case studies on global business trends for behavioural insights agency, Canvas8. Prior to working as a journalist Natalie worked for the public sector in social services for several years. She switched careers in 2013 after winning a fully funded NCTJ in a national writing competition. She holds a Masters degree in social anthropology from Sussex University where she specialised in processes of social change and international conflict and reconciliation processes.
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