Payment upgrades set to be introduced on Cork buses this summer

A faster method of paying for buses is set to be introduced in Cork this summer following prolonged delays, including the National Transport Authority (NTA) purchasing machines that did not work as initially expected.

The rollout, which will also see the introduction of a 90-minute fare allowing people to take unlimited bus journeys during that time at no additional cost, was initially set to take place by last September. It was then pushed out to the start of this year, before this latest delay.

The current system of bus passengers in Cork having to go to the bus driver to pay, whether by cash or Leap card, “adds considerably to boarding time on buses and lengthens overall bus journey times”, the NTA said. The new system will see Leap card validators installed on an entry pole at the front of each bus, so people do not have to go to the driver.

The NTA told Labour TD Eoghan Kenny: “This project is under way and at present we are in the testing phase for the solution. Subject to successful end-to-end testing of the solution, we expect to start rollout in May and finish in June. 

"However, if issues arise in testing that require resolution by the supplier, the go-live may move a number of weeks.”

Validator

The NTA previously told The Echo that the rollout of this Leap Card validator system in Cork would be complete in Q3 of 2025. Last October, it said it would be delayed to “early next year”, as testing of the 220 validators, bought for €359,913 excluding Vat, “has identified that the speed of the hardware in processing Leap Card transactions, and the overall software resilience of the system, is less than expected”.

Labour councillor for Cork City South East, Peter Horgan, said he hoped the timeline could be sped up.

“I’ve seen the machines on the Cork fleet, and I hope this testing is positive and we see it rolled out even faster,” he said. “We’ve been here before with testing getting delayed.

“Onboarding is a critical point for speeding up the bus transport process in Cork, although congestion remains a constant issue, along with ghost buses and driver capability.”

The NTA added in its response to Mr Kenny that the project is being rolled out “in advance of next generation ticketing being deployed in Cork”, which will see bus passengers able to tap their bank card or Apple Pay/Google Pay on their phone to pay for trips.

The project is being rolled out in Dublin first, and is set to be available there by 2028.