Reduced cost travel on public transport is being offered to Leap card holders this month as part of an initiative from the National Transport Authority.
From September 16th to 29th the “cap” on what an adult’s Leap card can be debited per week, will drop from €40 for adults to €25.
Students will see a potential reduction in the maximum weekly charge from €30 to €25.
Children will see a potential reduction in the maximum weekly charge from €14 to €7.
The Leap card “cap” is the point where the customer stops being charged for using public transport. For example an adult would normally be billed for each journey up to the cap, after which public transport journeys will not be charged.
Leap cards are valid on Luas, Dublin Bus, DART, Go Ahead Ireland, and Iarnród Éireann commuter services .
Additionally, Bus Éireann passengers can use their Leap cards to avail of further reductions in fares on city and town services including in Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Drogheda, Dundalk, Sligo, Balbriggan, Navan and Athlone.
Using a Leap card on Bus Éireann city and town services always saves passengers 30 percent when compared to cash fares, but from September 16th to 29th an additional 30per cent reduction in fare will be applied, resulting in savings of over half the cash fare.
Anne Graham, CEO of the National Transport Authority, said the promotion was aimed to raise awareness around the benefits of the fare capping system when travelling with a Leap card.
A Transport For Ireland spokesman said the individual transport operators such as Transdev which operates Luas would not lose out as the shortfall in overall fares would be made up by Transport For Ireland. The spokesman said the money would come from a fund which comprises all the unused credits in unused - or “dormant” Leap cards.
Earlier this year, the NTA announced that €600,000 in credit deposits and travel balances held in dormant Leap card accounts would be put to good use for the benefit of all public transport users.
