Leap card distribution expanded (hahaaaa) to An Post / Point Point Outlets

While I’d agree that this, on the face of it is a strange retrograde move, you can purchase the monthly Galway City red zone ticket online at www.leapcard.ie and then load it onto your card via the Leap Top-Up app on your phone.

Most people are probably using the app nowadays to top-up.

Once you put the load location as the LEAP Top-Up app and you load them onto the card via the app (holding the card to your phone), you’re good to go.

Hence, most people will use that option.

Otherwise yes they still need to be validated.

I don't understand the frustration here. Most regular users simply have an auto-topup setup with their Leap card. People should use the more efficient ways of sorting things rather then complaining about that.

Contactless is unlikely to be launched until 2024 per the NTA, and then it’ll probably be another period before cash is finally eliminated.

1. I'm using PT irregularly, once a month or so but auto-topup is very handy as I don't need to check the balance each time I think to use PT.

2. Not relevant. Auto-topup is made by taking the money from the bank account automatically the balance drops below 10 Euro.

3. Don't need a credit/debit card - can be done from their parents' current account.

4. App is not required for auto-topup. An actual physical Leap card can be used.

5. Again, nothing to do with an app.

Can you name any actual advantages of moving Leap to only An Post/PostPoint outlets. Because I can think of zero.

Most likely financial reason - retailers get a very small commission but too small to make it work so often charge additionally for a top-up in shop. However An Post is governmental - maybe NTA reached a better agreement.

Can you buy a leap card at a train station or luas stop? What will happen to the visitor leap card at Dublin Airport?

That won’t change.

Just to be clear though, if you load a monthly bus ticket to your LEAP card via the LEAP Top-Up app on your phone, holding the card to the rear of the phone, the ticket is then ready to be used on buses and does not need to be touched to a live terminal in a shop or a ticket vending machine.

I realise that - I think that the other poster meant physically having to go to a shop / TVM. The app makes life far easier.

Oyster is the same.

Could be done with a shops company card then take cash or card payment for it. Might be more secure using a phone provided by the shop but I've seen staff in restaurants using their own phones to check covid green passes when they were in and take orders on their own phone and there didn't seem to be a GDPR issue with that.

Put it this way saying in store top ups are not needed due to the app is a bit like RPTI poles should be removed due to the RTPI app

Yes it wouldn't be an issue if every shop that does payzone adopted it and would have the additional advantage of selling stamps and the parcels service. I remember when Leap was launched not every shop did it initially.

I'd say shops who don't do it may adopt it if they lose business as a result. But that would result in a period where Leap will be unavailable for a period of time in said shops.

A five year contract does not bode well for the development of public transport. Leap cards are an antiquated concept and with contactless payment unlikely to be launched until 2024 public transport is not being made easy to use.

On a recent trip I was able to buy tickets for return tram journeys from my destination airport to the city centre (we need one of those too) before leaving Ireland and travel on public tranport at my destination using contactless payment (debit or credit card, Apple pay, Google pay) without having to worry about buying a separate single purpose card or fob, top-ups, leap apps, currency exchange, etc... and a daily fare cap of about €5 and busses so frequent it would almost be quicker to hop on a bus than walk to the end of the street - totally frictionless conveniece.

That's how public transport should be delivered. If we want people to use public transport it needs to be easy, not the least worst choice.

Children / school / college going ages travelled for free on public transport within the area covered by the bus service. How's that for promoting use of a public transport service? As consequence city centre traffic was very light.

I found this article online https://www.thejournal.ie/transport-leap-card-4300842-Oct2018/ We're still talking about years away before we can tap our debit/credit card, phone or watch to pay for public transport. If other cities/countries can do it why can't we?

If we want to encourage people to use public transport we need to make it an easy option.

As a tourist I could use and pay for public transport there as conveniently and easily as a local. We need to do the same here.

It'll be an absolute nightmare when this happens after the move to An Post is complete. https://twitter.com/TFIupdates/status/1546767346269929472?t=Tm_lCm087ios7HcbnnqAeg&s=19

Seems to have happened already. Was in the newsagents today and someone asked to top up their leap card, cashier told them that they would need to go to a shop that offers PostPoint to do it now.

Strange that there was no official announcement, or if there was it wasn't greatly advertised...

Thanks for that.

Still mad how the NTA/TFI haven't released any form of statement or announcement that this change has come into effect, a lot of people will be finding out the hard way.

That'd be expected for a transaction going through Post Point.

Anyway this nonsense is what finally prompted my OH to give up on topping up in shops and use the app.