NTA to spend €3m on data centres to store Leap card information

The Leap card is a top-up contactless card used on public transport services across the country.

The National Transport Authority is set to spend €3.1m on the use of two data centres to back up information from its Leap card systems and other commercial bus operations.

The NTA, Ireland’s public transport licensing agency, has called for tenders from data centre hosts with the expertise to migrate, host, and manage its data on an ongoing basis from 2024.

The contract will also cover the authority’s disaster recovery plan, according to the published contract outline.

The four-year contract is set to be worth €3.075m from 2024, when the NTA’s current data centre deal expires.

At present, the authority has contracts for two separate data centres for the hosting of its information at Clonshaugh and Citywest in north and west Dublin respectively. The new deal will follow the same track, with two separate centres utilised.

The information described in the contract invitation pertains to the NTA’s Leap card — a top-up contactless card used on public transport services across the country. The card, first introduced in 2011, is expected to serve its function for at least the next five to 10 years, according to the NTA.

The other relevant data concerns the information systems, known as Bus Market Openings (BMO), which the NTA provides to three independent commercial bus operators here.

Information collated using from the BMOs relates to automatic vehicle location systems, ticketing data, financial and business information systems, and mobile connectivity to the bus fleet, the NTA said.

The authority said its requirements for server space may reduce significantly over the two to four years following the commencement of the contract in 2024, depending upon the evolution of its data strategy.

Last month, fares on public transport services across the country were reduced for the first time in 75 years, by 20%, in a bid to reduce the effects of the cost-of-living crisis and to encourage sustainable travel.