Choosing the most appropriate ticket options for a journey by public transport isn’t always easy. The best ticket to choose will depend upon how you are traveling, where from and how frequently.
What is for sure, however, is that unless your journey is a one off or infrequent, paying for your ticket on the day could be wasting you a lot of money. There are a wide range of ticket options available which can dramatically reduce the cost of public transport journeys made, so make sure you have checked out your options! To help out we have provided some useful pointers below:
Leap Cards
Leap Card is the new way to pay for travel around Dublin. It is suited to those who travel infrequently but want to save some money, and can be used on Luas, Dublin Bus, DART and Commuter Rail services.
All you need to do is buy your Leap Card, top it up with travel credit and away you go. You will always be charged the cheapest fare option which can be up to 18% cheaper than cash fares when using the DART. What’s more, if you use your Leap card regularly within any 1 day or 7 day period the cost of your travel will be capped at the price you would have paid for a flexi ticket.
Tax Saver Tickets: Save up to 52%
Tax Saver Commuter tickets are best suited to those who travel by public transport on a frequent basis. The cost of a ticket is deducted from your salary before taxation allowing you to save up to 52% on the cost of the ticket. Tax Saver tickets, which can be either monthly or annual, should be ordered via MyBenefits.
To order your tax saver ticket contact mybenefitchoices@benefex.co.uk.
Bus Fares
Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland share the same fare structure within the Dublin City Bus Network, with Adult/Student and Child cash and TFI Leap fares available. TFI Leap fares are 20 – 28% cheaper cash single fares, and you can save even more with Fare Capping and Leap 90 Discount.
Train Fares
Paying for train journeys isn’t complicated, you can turn up at the train station and purchase a ticket for a single journey, but if your trip is a regular commute a period ticket will be much better value.
Irish Rail offer a season ticket calculator so you can work out how much your regular commute will be – and more importantly how much you’ll save compared to buying a ticket each day!
If you are making a one off journey by train you can still make savings! Booking train travel in advance is an easy way to get cheaper tickets, with the number of cheap advance fares available doubling in the last few years! Advance tickets are available to buy as far as 12 weeks before your date of travel and can usually be purchased up until 6pm the day before!
Luas Fares
For those travelling on Luas only for a single or return journey. Ticket Vending Machines are located at every stop. Please note that tickets may not be purchased onboard the trams.
As with other public transport modes, Leap Card Fares are cheaper than paying on the day.
Additional Help and Support
If you need any more help or assistance in planning your commute, please get in touch with the MyCommute team. We can provide you with a Personalised Journey Plan to highlight all your travel options – simply fill out the contact form with details of your commute and we’ll do the rest.