1,500 sign petition for Leap Card extension to Mallow area

By Joe Leogue

Over 1,500 people have signed an online petition in the past week calling on the National Transport Authority (NTA) to extend the benefits of the Leap Card to commuters in the Mallow area.

Commuters who take the train from Mallow to Cork or vice versa must buy a ticket either online or at a train station, unlike those who take the Midleton line to the city, who can use a Leap Card to tag on before boarding the train.

Those using Leap Cards can also avail of cheaper fares compared to the cost of train tickets.

The petition was set up by Cork East Labour TD Sean Sherlock, who has been in discussions with the NTA over the issue.

However, earlier this year, NTA chief executive Anne Graham ruled out the idea. In January she wrote to Mr Sherlock to say the Mallow/Cork line is considered an “intercity” service, while trains from Cobh and Midleton are designated “commuter” services.

She said intercity services are not suited to pay-as-you-go travel with a Leap Card, as the higher fares would require commuters to maintain a larger balance on their card. Ms Graham also said economies of scale mean the Leap Card works best on lines with a number of intermediate stops, of which there are none between Cork and Mallow.

However, Mr Sherlock believes commuters in Mallow deserve the same level of service as those in Midleton.

If we are serious about reducing the amount of cars on our roads then we have to allow people to take advantage of public transport incentives like the Leap Card. The technology is currently present in Mallow station, it just is not being used,” he said.

“Their argument that those who get on in Cork can stay on until Dublin is not valid when scrutinised. Students and prospective students and workers in both the city and Mallow deserve equity of access to public transport services like the Leap Card.”

A spokesperson for the NTA told the Irish Examiner that all of the issues around commuter rail fares in the Cork area “will be considered as part of our annual fares determination”.