Leap Card and the TFI 90-minute fare

Leap is the reusable smart card of Transport for Ireland (TFI) and works on Dublin Bus, Go-Ahead Ireland, Bus Éireann city and town services, Luas, DART and commuter trains, and most TFI Local Link routes. You load credit onto it and the fare is deducted on each trip; Leap fares are always lower than paying cash to the driver.

The standard adult card is anonymous and can be bought at shops with the Leap sign, at Dublin Airport and at the Luas and rail ticket machines. A Visitor Leap Card gives unlimited travel in Dublin for 1, 3 or 7 days and is sold at the airport and in the city. Cards can also be added to the TFI Leap Top-Up app on a phone, where you top up and check your balance.

On Dublin Bus, Go-Ahead and Bus Éireann city buses you tap the card on the reader beside the driver when you board — there is no tapping off. Tell the driver your destination if you are travelling on a route with more than one fare stage outside the city fare zone.

On Luas you tap the validator on the platform before boarding and again when you get off; on DART and commuter trains you tap at the station gates or validators. If you forget to tap off on Luas or rail you are charged the maximum fare.

In the Dublin area a single Leap fare covers 90 minutes of travel from your first tap, including changes between buses, Luas and DART or commuter rail within the city zone. Tap on every vehicle as usual — the system recognises the transfer and charges nothing extra within the 90 minutes.

There is also a daily and a weekly cap, so once you have spent a certain amount in a day or a week, further trips are free. Cash and paper tickets are not part of the cap.

In Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford the Leap Card gives a flat city fare on Bus Éireann services and a daily cap; the 90-minute transfer applies in these cities too. In smaller towns with a TFI town service the Leap Card is accepted on the same terms.

Children under five travel free, and Young Adult and Student Leap Cards give a discount for ages 16–25. Fares change from time to time; the “Tickets & fares” page of each city lists the current prices with the official source and the date they were checked.