# Dublin Bus & Smart Card



## NewUser1 (23 Mar 2009)

Hi,

For the 1st time in a few years i got on Dublin Bus (i usually drive to work) i noticed people gettin on with the normal prepaid card, but then others with (what looked like to me) a smart card (like the one for the Luas) just wondering does anyone have information on this, as i cant find it on Dublin Bus Website. Looking into getting the Bus into work in future. 
I didnt see anyone tag off, so how do they know how much fare to take?
sorry if there already a post in here about this!


----------



## Dachshund (23 Mar 2009)

Certain of the Dublin Bus tickets are smart cards i.e. the 30 day rambler ticket. There is no tagging off involved because that day's fare is taken on the first journey.

More information on Smartcards [broken link removed]. Information on Rambler tickets [broken link removed].


----------



## Towger (23 Mar 2009)

This was promised back in 1998, but you know Dublin Bus... The only are only available for fares with a static price eg monthly, 3 day, 5 day and Travel 90 etc. So no good if you want to take the odd short (less than 90min) trip. To make matters worse they have withdrawn the old 2 jorney tickets and have not replaced them with a tag on and off system as per the Luas. So you now have to pay cash and hope you have the correct change!


----------



## dereko1969 (23 Mar 2009)

Towger, you are wrong.

The 30-day Rambler may be suitable for the OP, it's valid for 30 *non-consecutive *days and works out at €3.33 per day so it's good value.

as far as i know there are very long validity periods for these tickets.

*Rambler 30 Day Adult €100.00*

Valid for unlimited travel for 30 non-consecutive days
Valid on Dublin Bus scheduled services including Airlink and Xpresso (excluding Nitelink, Tours, Special Events and Private Contract services)
No CIE photo ID required


----------



## Dreamerb (23 Mar 2009)

dereko1969 said:


> The 30-day Rambler may be suitable for the OP, it's valid for 30 *non-consecutive *days and works out at €3.33 per day so it's good value.



It's good, provided your commute is over 13 stages and you get the bus both ways, or involves taking not less than three journeys a day. 

It's annoyingly that bit more expensive for me. My routine commute is two bus journeys of under 13 stages: max price €1.60 and I frequently walk a bit further and get a €1.15, or walk all the way to or from work and get only one bus a day. The 2 easy tickets were perfect.  I don't often complain about Dublin Bus (even when they deserve it!), but eliminating the 2 easy tickets really annoyed me. Is it really so far beyond their ken to introduce some sort of pre-paid ticket to suit regular short-hop commuters? [That's purely rhetorical, btw!]


----------



## Towger (23 Mar 2009)

dereko1969;834288
The 30-day Rambler may be suitable for the OP said:
			
		

> non-consecutive [/b]days and works out at €3.33 per day so it's good value.



 That ticket is useless to me. I am the same as Dreamerb. I take random €1.60 trips if the weather is had or if I am running late, otherwise I would walk. I have talked to couple of shop owners looking for the 2 Easy tickets and they reckon Dublin Bus just want make more money by to cutting them out/keeping the change! They should introduce a proper Tag On/Off system, or failing that as there was in the 80s a 10 trip version of the 2 Easy Card.


----------



## majik (23 Mar 2009)

The Dublin Bus 'stages' thing is a joke. Why don't they just get with the program and start afresh with zoned, transferable flat-fares like every other major city in the world!


----------



## Frank (25 Mar 2009)

Any chance of luas and DB getting together so 1 Smart card would do both.

I have one for Luas for the odd use very handy on Paddy's day to avoid the que at the ticket machine.

Would be handier if I could use the same card on the bus.

This was available in Hong Kong over 10 years ago.


----------



## theresa1 (25 Mar 2009)

Expect plenty of walking next week!


----------



## theresa1 (25 Mar 2009)

as far as i know there are very long validity periods for these tickets.
Any you buy now should be at the earliest expiry date November 2010


----------



## MugsGame (26 Mar 2009)

Tax Saver bus travel cards (annual and I guess monthly too) also come with the smart card. 

If you want a combined bus and rail card, only Dublin Bus currently issue them with smart cards, i.e. a rail and bus card from Irish Rail won't have it! This is annoying as validating magnetic tickets tends to damage them or demagnetise them, requiring at least one replacement over the course of an annual ticket.


----------

