Dublin can expect cheaper public transport in two years time thanks to an integrated ticketing system using smart card technology, the Minister for Public Enterprise has said.
Ms O'Rourke made the announcement after yesterday's Cabinet meeting approved a plan recommending introduction of the smart card system from the end of 2002.
She said it would mean cheaper fares for multiple journeys and faster access to public transport.
In time, Ms O'Rourke added, the smart cards could have other applications, including parking. "In fact, the technology's usage is probably endless," she said.
The report, Proposals for Integrated Ticketing in the Greater Dublin Area, was drawn up by a committee chaired by her Department and including representatives of Dublin Bus, Iarnrod Eireann, CIE, the Light Rail Project office and the Dublin Transportation Office.
It recommends smart cards as the preferred system for integrated ticketing, with commuters boarding public transport by scanning their cards, as at supermarket check-outs.
Discounts in the region of 40p for two-leg journeys and 80p for three-leg journeys can be expected, the authors say, and the aim would be to have 80 per cent of passengers using the system, compared with the 20 per cent currently buying prepaid tickets.
The system would cost £25 million to install, the Minister said, first in Dublin Bus and the light rail system in late 2002, and later in the suburban rail system. The estimated £5 million loss of revenue because of passenger discounts will be balanced by increased use. Implementation of the report would be a key task in the months ahead, Ms O'Rourke said.
"I believe the use of smart cards, with fare reductions for commuters to encourage its takeup, will ensure the system is a great success," she said.
"Commuters will benefit from volume discounts, avoid queues and delays at barriers, and be linked to other transport applications, including parking."
The Minister also confirmed a major extension of the city's Nitelink bus service over Christmas and the New Year.
Dublin Bus said yesterday it was still working on details of the increased service, maps and timetables for which would be published later this week. But a spokesman confirmed new routes to Ashbourne and Dunboyne, Co Meath, to Cornelscourt via Kilmacud, and to Old Bawn, Tallaght.
The service will run from November 30th to January 6th, except on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Mondays to Wednesdays buses wil run hourly on the half-hour from 12.30 a.m. to 4.30 a.m., with additions where necessary. Thursdays to Saturdays, the service will be every 20 minutes during the same hours.
There will be buses at 12.30 a.m. and 1.30 a.m. only on Sundays, except on New Year's Eve, when a full weekend service will operate. The buses will also have a small number of stops outside the city centre for the first time.
