Fury over 15% fare hike

Dublin public transport passengers will face sharply higher costs from January after the National Transport Authority announced an average 15 per cent increase in adult fares.

The cost of a 90-minute Leap Card journey in Dublin will rise from €2 to €2.30, affecting commuters using Dublin Bus, Luas, DART and commuter rail services.

Town fares paid with an adult Leap Card will increase by 10 per cent to €1.65, while Intercity rail express fares will rise by 10 per cent and economy fares by up to 20 per cent.
Intercity rail Open Return tickets will also be discontinued as part of the new fare structure.

The revised prices will apply across Public Service Obligation services operated under the Transport for Ireland network, including Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Irish Rail, Luas, Go-Ahead Ireland and TFI Local Link.

Cash fares, Leap Card journeys and time-based products such as weekly and monthly passes will all be affected. However, many child fares, particularly in regional towns and cities, will be reduced.

The NTA said the changes represented the first broad adjustment to public transport fares since 2018 and maintained that prices would remain approximately 8 per cent lower than they were eight years ago.

“While adult fares will increase by an average of 15 per cent, this remains below cumulative inflation, which has increased by 20.8 per cent since 2022,” the authority said.

The announcement has prompted strong criticism from opposition parties, which argued that increasing fares would place additional pressure on households and discourage people from leaving their cars at home.

Dublin North West People Before Profit councillor Conor Reddy described the increases as “outrageous” during a cost-of-living emergency.

He called for the increases to be scrapped and for money from the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund to be used to develop free, frequent and reliable public transport.

“We can’t protect ourselves from international shocks while remaining so reliant on private cars and imported fossil fuels,” Cllr Reddy said.

Labour transport spokesperson Ciarán Ahern TD questioned why fares were being increased after the Government spent a further €400 million on excise reductions to prevent diesel prices exceeding €2 a litre.

“If Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil could find €400 million to make diesel cheaper, they can and must find the money to make public transport commuting affordable,” he said.

Deputy Ahern described the increases as “anti-worker” and warned that they would disproportionately affect commuters, students and people on lower incomes who were already struggling with housing, energy and food costs.

The Green Party said the decision risked reversing the growth in passenger numbers recorded after fares were reduced in 2022.

Party transport spokesperson Cllr Feljin Jose said the Government should be encouraging greater public transport use at a time when motorways were full and congestion was at record levels.

“This decision will cost us far more in congestion and emissions than it will raise in revenue,” he said.

Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman TD described the increase as “a slap in the face” to people who regularly use buses, trains, Luas and DART services.

He said commuters had seen the Government spend hundreds of millions protecting some sectors from rising costs while public transport passengers were now being asked to pay more for every journey.