Significant New Features for Leap Card Under Development

The National Transport Authority is currently developing significant new technology to help Leap Card users to simplify their transactions. A contract has just been awarded to the company ViX to develop new features which will be launched by the Authority to customers over the coming year.

With Near Field Communications (NFC), the Leap Card user will be able to use a special, free smartphone App to top-up their Leap Cards immediately (from their credit or debit cards) via the smartphone App, just by holding the card and the phone close to each other.

Another feature on the App will enable users to collect tickets previously purchased online (including Tax Saver products bought through an employer) – without any need to visit a ticketing machine in a shop or a station.

A third feature on the App will allow users check their available e-purse balances in real-time, and the status of any ticket-products they hold on their Leap Card. At present, users can only check their Leap Card balance on the website for the previous day.

Gerry Murphy, CEO of the National Transport Authority said: “These exciting new features will take significant development time and will be released in stages but we wanted customers to know that we are tracking the fast-moving technology field and will continually incorporate improvements and changes into Leap. The recent incorporation of NFC on iPhone 6 means that what we develop will be available to the full smartphone community”.