LUAS/LEAPCARD - Tagging on and changing your mind ...

Piliger · 14-08-2012 6:55pm #1

Hi all,

Just an FYI thing. I use a LeapCard for the LUAS and it saves me money and having to burrow for change.

However today I discovered one thing that people who are not already aware of ... should be.

If you tag on at a station, and then between tagging on and getting on the LUAS, have to abort the trip for ANY reason, there is absolutely nothing you can do to avoid being charged.

You can minimise the charge, but only by staying at the station for 3-5 minutes and then tagging off again. If you try to tag off before that it won't accept it. And if you don't do this tag off ... you will be charged the maximum charge from that station.

Just got off the phone from LEAP and LUAS who made this clear in no uncertain terms.

Jev/N · 14-08-2012 7:02pm

If it happens a lot, just wait to tag on until the Luas arrives/leaves although I've used the Luas with its Smartcard for years without this ever happening to me

Gavin "shels" · 15-08-2012 12:00am

Was the same with the old Luas cards.

Piliger · 15-08-2012 12:55am

Gavin shels wrote: »

Was the same with the old Luas cards.

The difference is that you pay in advance to top up these cards and there sis no practical reason why they cannot allow a tag on to be cancelled at the machine, but they don't.

Gavin "shels" · 15-08-2012 2:02am

Piliger wrote: »

The difference is that you pay in advance to top up these cards and there sis no practical reason why they cannot allow a tag on to be cancelled at the machine, but they don't.

Yup I know what you're talking about, before the Leap care there was a purple Luas card which acted the same as the Leap card but could only be used on the Luas and it didn't allow you to cancel a tag on!

MadsL · 15-08-2012 2:05am

Annoying as fcuk when you suddenly see Service Suspended flash up...or the 2 mins change to 16 mins.

wicklowwonder · 15-08-2012 6:35am

MadsL wrote: »

Annoying as fcuk when you suddenly see Service Suspended flash up...or the 2 mins change to 16 mins.

If you have tagged on and service is suspended and you go to use DB to you gave to tag into DB as well? Usually DB accept all Luas tickets so really it could be a double charge....

Piliger · 15-08-2012 11:40am

wicklowwonder wrote: »

If you have tagged on and service is suspended and you go to use DB to you gave to tag into DB as well? Usually DB accept all Luas tickets so really it could be a double charge....

YES !

This exact thing has happened to me a few times. Maximum LUAS charge PLUS DB.

JuliusCaesar · 15-08-2012 12:04pm

I forgot to tag off one time and went back to get the Luas an hour later, and couldn't tag on again - because I was still tagged on! I could have gone the length of the Red Line in that time and halfway back.

Or... in a daze: thinking to myself - "Oh, did I actually tag off? Better go and check." NOOOOOOO!! I've just tagged myself back on again! And sometimes it'll take 10 minutes before it allows me to tag myself off again. AAAARGH.

Just glad I'm not the only one...

ethernet · 15-08-2012 12:55pm

Considering you can check if you're tagged on at the ticket machines, could they not add the functionality to tag off here in the case of changing your mind?

wicklowwonder · 15-08-2012 2:24pm

ethernet wrote: »

Considering you can check if you're tagged on at the ticket machines, could they not add the functionality to tag off here in the case of changing your mind?

Personally, on the change of mind I don't blame the Luas for not allowing that, in fairness if you buy a ticket at a machine you cannot change your mind and ask for a refund so that works fine. However you shouldn't be charged on DB and on the Luas if the Luas is broken down. It should be down in stages, for example it costs X amount to get from Heuston to Connolly no matter if you use Luas, DB or a combination of both.

dazberry · 15-08-2012 2:53pm

wicklowwonder wrote: »

Personally, on the change of mind I don't blame the Luas for not allowing that, in fairness if you buy a ticket at a machine you cannot change your mind and ask for a refund so that works fine.

I don't agree. Smart cards aren't tickets bought from a machine. If I buy a ticket from a machine I need to know in advance my destination, whereby on a smart card I don't (except for Dublin Bus but that's another story). This alone gives an extra level of flexibility, and is a benefit I have used a number of times. So there's nothing to suggest that change of mind functionality could not have been implemented at tag on either, IMO it was just lazy programming.

D.

Piliger · 15-08-2012 3:39pm

Lazy and self serving programming.

Mr Simpson · 15-08-2012 10:01pm

Surely it's a simple fix. If you tag on, you should be able to tag off at the same stop with in a fixed time period (say 5 or 10 minutes) without incurring a charge. Can you do this on Irish Rail?

Victor · 15-08-2012 10:54pm

mmcn90 wrote: »

Surely it's a simple fix. If you tag on, you should be able to tag off at the same stop with in a fixed time period (say 5 or 10 minutes) without incurring a charge. Can you do this on Irish Rail?

Yes. Once you enter the paid side of the barriers, you can't leave for about 2 minutes, but then you can in about the next 10 minutes.

MadsL · 15-08-2012 11:38pm

wicklowwonder wrote: »

Personally, on the change of mind I don't blame the Luas for not allowing that, in fairness if you buy a ticket at a machine you cannot change your mind and ask for a refund so that works fine. However you shouldn't be charged on DB and on the Luas if the Luas is broken down. It should be down in stages, for example it costs X amount to get from Heuston to Connolly no matter if you use Luas, DB or a combination of both.

You can certainly get a refund on Irish rail. Just have to go to a manned ticket desk.

Piliger · 16-08-2012 5:11pm

Victor wrote: »

Yes. Once you enter the paid side of the barriers, you can't leave for about 2 minutes, but then you can in about the next 10 minutes.

And you are certain there is no charge to the LEAP card ?

Victor · 17-08-2012 4:02am

Piliger wrote: »

And you are certain there is no charge to the LEAP card ?

Yes. It may show up on the record, but it should be a €0 transaction.

Piliger · 18-08-2012 1:12pm

I complained to Leapcard about this ridiculous inconsistency. And this is what they replied:

"Irish Rail differs from Luas as its machines are enabled to cancel a tag off. Luas validators are slightly different in a technical sense as the software installed on them does not allow a tag off.
I understand your frustration as to why machines on different service operators do not function the same. It is up to each individual transport operator to chose and maintain their own machine software.
Also each transport operator has their own policy on giving refunds. Luas, Irish Rail and Dublin bus all have different policies on giving refunds.
Unfortunately as you mentioned Luas will not issue a refund on this occasion that you tagged on. We apologise for this inconvenience but it is up to Luas to determine if a refund is issued."

So LUAS deliberately chose not to be able to offer any cancellation facility.

I am writing to LUAS to complain again and I urge you guys to do it too and encourage others. This is the only way to make change happen.

LUAS/LEAPCARD - Tagging on and changing your mind ...

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