How Payzone is shaping the future of mobility in Ireland
As Ireland’s towns and cities face the dual pressures of climate targets and growing urban populations, the way we move around is evolving, writes Jim Deignan, CEO of Payzone.
Addressing challenges such as traffic congestion, carbon reduction, and accessibility demands a more connected, intuitive, and sustainable transport experience.
Payzone Ireland, the State’s largest consumer payments network, is playing a pivotal role in that evolution, redefining what is possible in the smart mobility space. With over two decades of experience delivering payment and service innovation, Payzone is now empowering local authorities, mobility providers, and commuters alike to reimagine how we navigate and interact with our urban environments.
One app, many services
Payzone was the first company in Ireland to integrate a broad range of mobility services into a single, unified mobile application. This includes on and off street parking, bike and car sharing, and tolling. This ‘one app, many services’ approach is a significant departure from fragmented legacy systems, ensuring users have consistent, accessible experiences regardless of location.
Today, Payzone operates cashless parking solutions across 17 counties in Ireland, including Dublin, Cork, and Galway; three cities central to the EU’s Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. By reducing reliance on multiple platforms and delivering a seamless user journey, Payzone not only simplifies the day-to-day experience for motorists but also helps councils eliminate costly inefficiencies caused by operating in silos.
As Ireland continues its transition to cleaner, more compact cities, the case for integrated digital mobility has never been stronger. Through a single, scalable application, Payzone is facilitating greener travel choices, improving accessibility, and laying the digital foundation for next-generation transport systems.
Powering better planning with data for local government councils
The Department of Transport’s Economic Cost of Congestion report paints a stark picture of the consequences of inaction. From lost productivity to reduced air quality and increased emissions, poorly optimised transport systems are costing Irish cities dearly.
That is where Payzone’s mobility ecosystem becomes a strategic asset. By capturing anonymised behavioural data from hundreds of thousands of daily mobility interactions, Payzone generates valuable insights into how people move across and within towns and cities. This includes travel patterns, peak times, dwell zones, and adoption of alternative transport options.
These insights can support local governments in designing infrastructure that responds to real-world needs. Whether it is adjusting traffic flows, enhancing cycle lanes or planning EV charging infrastructure.
Payzone does not just support mobility for end users, it enables smarter, more data-driven planning for local governments.
Supporting accessibility through unified design
With the implementation of the European Accessibility Act (EAA), digital inclusion is now a core obligation. The EAA reinforces the importance of consistent user experience, intuitive interfaces, and accessible design for individuals with disabilities or access needs.
Payzone’s application is built to support universal design. Users shouldn’t have to re-learn interfaces or navigate inconsistent payment methods simply because they cross from one local authority to another. Yet this is the reality many face with fragmented apps and services.
By consolidating services under one roof, Payzone provides a streamlined, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) compliant experience for all users including older populations and those with visual, cognitive, or motor impairments. We are actively working with partners to test and refine our digital platforms to ensure ongoing compliance, and most importantly, usability.
A single app does not just support users, it eases the compliance burden for councils by offering an out of the box, all-in-one solution.
A trusted partner to councils and communities
Payzone’s reach spans across Ireland; from cities to regional towns. We have supported numerous councils in launching and modernising their cashless parking infrastructure, enabling motorists to pay using our retail network, website, or through the mobile application. We also provide flexible back-end solutions for enforcement officers and parking operations teams. With in-house engineering teams, a dedicated local helpdesk, and ISO certified systems, we are proud to be the trusted payments and mobility technology provider for Ireland’s evolving towns and cities.
As a founding member of Mobility Partnership Ireland (MPI), Payzone is also championing industry-wide collaboration to reduce fragmentation and support a coherent national strategy for shared mobility. Together with partners such as Bleeper, Moby, GoCar, and Aircoach, we are building solutions to support Ireland’s future mobility landscape.
Innovation that scales
As cities prepare for the first revision of the National Planning Framework and respond to the climate resilience recommendations outlined by Trinity College Dublin professors, scalable solutions are essential.
Whether you are launching new parking facilities, preparing for expanded EV adoption, or supporting behavioural shifts away from car dependency, Payzone’s solutions are built to grow with your town or city. Our roadmap includes greater insights for transport modelling, deeper integration with multimodal transport networks (e.g., cycling, bus, rail), and further expansion into services that align with future smart city standards.
Empowering Leap Card transactions since 2011, Payzone is now supporting Indra and the National Transport Authority (NTA) in delivering the next generation of ticketing infrastructure, bringing seamless integration across bus, rail, and other transport services.
With a clear understanding of how public services need to function in the digital age, Payzone is delivering mobility solutions that are both progressive and pragmatic.
Smarter cities and towns
The future of towns and cities in Ireland is not just about building more roads or adding more transport options; it is about creating systems that are coherent, connected, and citizen-first. It is about harnessing data to plan better, using technology to enable inclusion, and ensuring that every step we take aligns with our national climate and infrastructure goals.
Transport should be at the heart of a modern, connected Ireland and Payzone very much welcomes the Government’s recently revised National Development Plan, committing over €24 billion to transport infrastructure build. This critical funding extends to public transport, roads, electrification, and active travel and includes key low carbon transport projects such as Metrolink.
As the conversation continues around compact growth, 15-minute cities, and the future role of digital infrastructure, Payzone remains ready to support Irish towns and cities on their journeys; offering the tools, insight, and innovation needed to build smarter, more liveable spaces for all.
T: 01 207 6000
E: jim.deignan@payzone.ie
W: www.payzone.ie
