TransMach takes contactless leap forward in Ireland

Credit: Minesh Vandra, Director at TransMach, via LinkedIn.

The journey towards a fully contactless ticketing system among private bus and coach operators in Ireland has taken a significant step forward in Dublin, thanks to smart ticketing provider, TransMach.

In a major first for the business, which has supported private operators in Ireland for over eight years, the city’s prepaid TFI Leap Card, authorised by Ireland’s National Transport Authority (NTA), is now compatible with TransMach’s on-bus smart ticketing machines. Dublin Coach and JJ Cavanagh and Sons have become the first operators to roll-out the upgrade onto their fleets.

As well as enabling faster passenger boarding by simply ‘tapping on’ Leap cards – or any other contactless debit or credit card or smartphone payment app – TransMach’s successful collaboration with NTA means that private operators only need a single system to validate all ticket types. Previously, a separate machine was necessary for validating Leap cards.

In addition, TransMach has worked with NTA to validate contactless journeys made with the Young Adult Card, which entitle the holder to a 50% discount on ticket prices for services across Dublin.

Commenting on the successful project, which was officially announced at the recent Coach Tourism and Transport Council (CTTC) Show in Dublin, TransMach’s Director, Minesh Vandra, said: “Our mission is to enable 100% contactless travel, which will not only encourage more consumers to switch to public transport, thereby increasing revenues for operators, but also helping to reduce their costs by having just one seamless ticketing and reporting system. We are delighted to have launched this integration with Dublin Coach and JJ Cavanagh and Sons, and are grateful to the support of NTA in making this advancement possible, which we expect will attract new private operators to the benefits of switching.”

Bernard Higgins, Director of Transport Technology for the NTA, added: “The National Transport Authority is delighted to support Transmach in their journey to become a Leap-compliant ticketing solution supplier. We look forward to working with Transmach-enabled bus operators to provide Leap services to the travelling public.”