Contactless payments for Cork buses still on schedule, says NTA

A programme to introduce contactless payments on Cork buses remains on schedule and within budget, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has said, despite the contractor leading the project being removed from a separate rail scheme.

Iarnród Éireann has terminated its contract with Spanish IT multinational Indra following a €50m write-off linked to a traffic management system (TMS).

Iarnród Éireann told EchoLive told  that Indra had failed "to deliver a product fit and safe for deployment on our rail network".

However, the NTA said it intends to continue working with Indra on the next-generation ticketing programme, under which contactless payments are due to be introduced across the public transport network. 

EchoLive previously revealed that over €35m has been spent on the project since 2020.

In January, transport minister Darragh O’Brien joined the NTA to open a Dublin office for Indra Group, which, in 2024, was awarded the contract to deliver the new system. The office was to act as the operational hub for the next-generation ticketing programme.

New validators will begin appearing in Dublin from 2027, with contactless payments available from 2028, and only after this point will rollout begin in Cork and other counties outside the capital.

An NTA spokesperson said: “The next-generation ticketing programme and the National Train Control Centre are two separate and distinct large-scale projects that were independently awarded to Indra via two separate public procurement processes.

“They have distinctly different objectives, governance arrangements, and delivery requirements.” 

They added: “The next-generation ticketing programme is a nationwide public transport ticketing initiative and is progressing well.

“The Indra team continues to work closely with the National Transport Authority, has invested heavily in technical and project management teams based in Ireland and has established a close and collaborative working relationship with the NTA.

“The project remains on schedule and within budget.”