THE NATIONAL TRANSPORT Authority (NTA) has said customers who believe they have been overcharged during the start of the new Leap Card payment in Cork city.

It follows complaints by Green Party councillors and some users of the new system that people are not able to avail of the new fares.

Changes introduced this week see commuters able to travel for up to 90 minutes for €1.70.

But complaints outlined that the reader for the new card has failed to recognise monthly passes in some instances. This meant it was either deducting the fare from the passenger’s account or not working at all.

The NTA has told The Journal that it is working with Bus Éireann to make the use of the Leap Card “smoother” for customers.

The fare caps are for all of Bus Éireann’s Cork TFI services, five years after a similar system was brought in for Dublin.

Cork buses have also been fitted with on-board ticket validators, meaning commuters can hop on and tap their Leap card, rather than booking in advance or buying a ticket from the bus driver at the stop.

Green Party councillor Oliver Moran said there have been a number of complaints around the launch of the service, some of which he put down to what he called “virtually no advertising” in the lead-up to the switch.

“From the people I’ve spoken to, there was some confusion this morning — questions like whether monthly ticket holders need to tag on or if passengers need to tag off,” Moran said.

Moran added that many customers seemed “caught off guard” by the change.

“Even last night, on my way home from town, I didn’t see any tap-on machines installed. So even I wasn’t entirely sure if the change was actually happening.”

Similarly, his party colleague Dan Boyle said that it was clear the system was “not yet foolproof” in its first week.

“Bus Éireann had a lot of time to prepare for this and it needs to be got right because this was part of the reason behind the increase in fares,” Boyle said.

The NTA, which hopes the new measures will speed up boarding times, told The Journal that customers need to board in two separate ways, depending on the type of card they hold.

For customers using Leap travel credit, a Free Travel Pass, or a Child Leap Card (ages five-8), they should tap on using the new validator located to the right of the door when boarding, according to the NTA.

“Customers using a 24-hour, weekly, monthly, or annual ticket on their Leap Card should present their card to the driver for validation.
The NTA is engaging with Bus Éireann to make this process clearer for customers,” the NTA added.

It said the first day of operation saw approximately 25,000 transactions completed using the new equipment.

“If a customer has been overcharged because they inadvertently used the incorrect validator, they can request a refund by contacting Leap customer care,” the NTA said.

Moran, the Green councillor, said that journeys do seem faster since the change, as the NTA hoped.

However, he said that the main issue remains the price increase, with the €1.70 fare replacing cheaper fares of €1.35 and €1.55.

“Without confidence in Cork’s bus network for planning journeys that involve changing buses, the 90-minute fare isn’t seen as a benefit, just a higher price fare,” Moran said.