Dublin travel cards will be smart, but not yet

The State's first travel "smartcard" designed to allow passengers to switch between public transport-providers was introduced by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, in Dublin yesterday.

By the end of this year Dublin Bus, Luas and private operators will be issuing the cards, but they will not be operational on each others' services at least until December 2005.

The €28 million scheme to deliver a "swipe-through" transport card for use across Dublin is being developed by the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA).

The RPA chief executive, Mr Frank Allen, yesterday described the launch of the Morton Smartcard as "a proven concept" even though it will not be possible to use it on other forms of public transport for another 20 months.

Later this year - although not in time for its inauguration in June - the RPA flagship, Luas, will introduce its own smartcard.

However, this, too, will initially only be available for use only on Luas trams.

A Dublin Bus smartcard should also be widely available to the public later this year, but again will not be available for use across other services until the end of 2005 at the earliest.

Dart and Iarnród Éireann smartcards are not to become available until the scheme is fully integrated.

Speaking at yesterday's event, Mr Brennan asked Mr Allen to ensure that the delivery date was "2005 and not 2006".

Asked if the smartcards could not have been integrated before they were introduced, Mr Brennan referred questions to Mr Allen, but said the process involved enormous technology.

He added: "I suppose the funds had to be organised" .

Although they will eventually use the integrated mechanisms being developed by the RPA, Iarnród Éireann and Dublin Bus commented yesterday that they already operate integrated ticketing systems based on paper tickets with metal strips.

Dublin Bus Rambler and Short Hop tickets, for example, can be read by machines either on buses or at railway stations and, although they provide less reporting information for their companies, sources said they were developed at a fraction of the cost of the new project.

Meanwhile the Fine Gael TD for Dublin South, Ms Olivia Mitchell, has criticised the Minister, saying the current situation "is a result of his teetering on the brink of a decision".

"How can the Government expect us to have faith in electronic voting when it can't even operate an electronic bus ticket?" she asked.