There is progress on contactless payments being implemented on TFI Local Link services across the country – but it will be 2028 before we see it rolled out on Dublin’s public transport network
Contactless on bus service (stock)(Image: Getty)
Mayo is the latest county to be able to pay for TFI Local Link services using contactless.
The initial pilot of the new contactless system was launched by the National Transport Authority in Cavan and Monaghan in 2023. Following its success, contactless payments on TFI Local Link services were introduced in Tipperary, Laois and Offaly.
The NTA expects to have the full rollout of contactless equipment across all 15 TFI Local Link offices completed by the end of this year. They said this upgrade is part of the NTA’s wider programme to modernise fare payment systems nationally, improving accessibility and enhancing the overall passenger experience, particularly for communities in rural and regional areas.
Meanwhile, it was confirmed last month that contactless will be rolled out on Dublin’s public transport network in 2028. A new Contactless Project HQ, located in Heuston South Quarter, was recently opened and will serve as the Indra Group’s headquarters for their operations in Ireland.
In 2024, the NTA awarded Indra the contract to deliver a contactless payment system that will replace the existing Leap Card infrastructure. The Next Generation Ticketing project will enable passengers to pay for travel using bank cards, mobile phones, and smart devices.
The NTA said that unlike many international contactless ticketing programmes that are rolled out by city or region, the NTA in partnership with Indra, is delivering “a highly complex, end‑to‑end solution designed to ultimately operate across the entire Transport for Ireland (TFI) network, delivering a single, integrated solution for buses, trains, trams and regional services”
The programme also includes the upgrade of approximately 240 railway station gates, around 1,000 station validators across LUAS and Irish Rail, and more than 2,800 on‑bus validators in the Greater Dublin Area alone.
New validators will begin appearing from 2027, with contactless payments available from 2028.
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