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compiled by Jim Power in 2024. It was commissioned by the Coach Tourism & Transport Council of Ireland. The report highlighted that unequal application of fare supports is creating an uneven playing field between public service operators and licensed commercial operators. Extending free travel to under-nines on commercial … indicate that after adjusted fare levels and even factoring in occasional long-distance trips, the total cost for the entire country is unlikely to exceed €1 million annually. Large swathes of this country have either a non-existent or a very poor public transport service and are dependent

constituency, who saw significant fare reductions, but there have also been what I regard as anomalies in that some towns have seen significant fare increases. In this regard, the Deputy rightly referred to Greystones and Kilcoole, two towns we know well. The NTA and others will tell … view, we have taken a number of steps to try to help people with the cost of public transport, including the young adult card and the 90-minute fare. We have had money to extend that. We have seen a number of initiatives that have helped to reduce

rely on rail every day. Government policy is to encourage greater use of public transport and that means passengers must have confidence that the service is safe, reliable, efficient and resilient, but public confidence in rail is hard-won and easily lost. We have seen in places such … make and how they impact public transport usage. If we are serious about modal shift, we need a railway that people want to use. That means not only safe infrastructure and modern signalling systems but also reliable services, competitive fares and a passenger experience that encourages more people

other Departments. When the public sector pay deal ran out months ago, in June, it snubbed the unions representing workers across our vital public services. The Minister, Deputy Chambers, must now engage urgently with unions whose members are struggling. The Government's failure to take PAYE workers seriously … applications have doubled. Just a month since the National Transport Authority, NTA, announced that fares would go up by an average of 15% in January, the Government did nothing to make public transport and active travel more affordable at a time petrol and diesel prices have exploded. This

this country will do in 12 days' time is provide clarity in relation to public transport funding for 2027. What I am telling the Deputy is we have made a decision that the fare changes that are being brought about by the NTA, which are effective from next … year, will result in a sustainable level of funding that will enable us to significantly expand public transport routes in this country. The people have not chosen the Deputy to be in government. He is not going to misrepresent the record of this Government

disgrace. The idea it should be paid for by hiking up fares for people struggling with a cost-of-living crisis in a way that the NTA itself says will deter people from using public transport is unbelievable. It has admitted that for every 10% increase, 3% fewer

There are more people using public transport than ever. There were 365 million public transport journeys last year. That is a 6% increase. Our fare structure is affordable. We have many free fares across the system, which we will continue to maintain. On the other issue in relation

fares, my focus is on investing in our fleet and infrastructure. That will be Government's focus. This five years to the end of the decade can see a step change in our infrastructure. We have seen some significant projects in Ceannt Station, Galway, and Kent Station, Cork … train station. We are looking at how we can do that better. Affordability in public transport is key. We have to be mindful of the levels of fares. The decision was made to bring in free travel for five-to-eight-years-olds. We want to see what

Deputy said, the National Transport Authority made the decision to publish the new fares on 3 September of this year, with the revised fares taking effect from January 2027. This was a really important step in standardising the national fares structure. It is in line with a strategy … public transport network is not immune to this inflation, in the same way that people getting into their car and driving to work are not. At the same time, in that period, we have seen costs drop, specifically by 20% in the cost-of-living fares reduction

increases for CEOs and now we are seeing transport fare hikes that in some cases will see fares for children increase by over 100%. That is not fairness and is not putting people first. As someone who uses public transport, I have experienced standing in all sorts

significant point is that our PSO programme funds public transport services, both bus and rail, and as we know, it is composed of Exchequer funding and fares. The Deputy is right and the priority for us, working with the NTA, is to deliver on BusConnects so that … increased volume of traffic on our roads. That emphasises the importance of BusConnects. The Deputy will agree that we must continue to prioritise public transport, which is what the Government is doing, and the PSO element of that is very important. Discounts for young adults and students

rely on the public transport system for. The Government claims it wants more people to use public transport, but its actions tell a different story - they tell the truth. Increasing fares while asking people to leave their cars at home makes no sense. Ghost buses that put people

more expensive, notwithstanding that there is no public transport there at all. It is farcical. For people in Knockadoon and Ballymacoda, which are on the coast beyond Ballycotton, it is not a question of increasing fares. There is absolutely no service there at all. A lot of those … weeks. Many of them are elderly and are reaching the stage where they can no longer drive. They need a good, reliable public transport link to Midleton, where they can avail of GP services, shopping, banking and other essential services. There are approximately 4,000 people living

statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services, in conjunction with the relevant transport operators. The services are subsidised and the NTA is responsible for the routes, fares and shared systems. In the case … have said, for the management and day-to-day operation as the operator, alongside the other PSO services. The performance of all public transport operators is monitored by the NTA as part of the contractual arrangements in place between the operators and the NTA. The contracts allow

invest in public transport, to continue to progressively reduce the cost of public transport and to focus on increasing the reliability of our train services. In general, it is great to see the fare reductions and the expansion of the commuter zones that have come in this week … since 1983. Her fare for her journey from Skerries, which is now being moved into zone 2, has increased by 30%. Another constituent, a student who goes from the Rush-Lusk station to Balbriggan for school, has seen her fare rise, under the new fare structure, from

transport committee last Wednesday, it was very clear that this fare increase is not about delivering extra services next year; this is about providing the exact same level of service this year as last year. Public transport users are getting nothing extra

welcome this Bill and the debate we are having because we urgently need reform when it comes to public transport. Cork needs better public transport. We currently have no Luas, too many ghost buses, and towns that are not connected. This is having a huge impact on people … also means that people in Cork cannot avail of the 90-minute flat fare that they can get in Dublin. It is not acceptable that the people in Cork pay more for public transport than those in Dublin. That needs to change fast. Across the country, we need

expansion of the fare scheme to include commercial operators, specifically the inclusion of commercial operators in the free public transport initiative for the under-nines, is a must as we go forward. We cannot have a two-tier system, which will lead, if it continues, to private

constituents in Greystones and Kilcoole, they would not be particularly in agreement with him about public transport being a good news story. They have seen an increase of 30% in their fares and children have seen an increase of 200%. It is very hard to sell that

Transport secured €658 million of funding for public service obligation, PSO, and Transport for Ireland, TFI, Local Link services, which was an increase from €618 million in 2024. That includes funding for the continuation of the 20% fare reduction on PSO services, the young adult card on both … fares on PSO services to include those aged between five and eight years and to support the roll-out of new and enhanced bus and rail services under programmes such as BusConnects and Connecting Ireland. As the Deputy will be aware, the Government recently commitment to improving public

almost double the price just to access public transport. Is there any consideration that the Government can give to allowing people in Galway to use the Leap card structure and avail of lower fares? This situation is not fair

home, but with the shambles that is our public transport service in north Kildare, the Government has left people with no option. Every day I hear about train availability during peak commuting hours and how the fair fares have badly affected people in Sallins and Kilcock in particular … route and people are being left at the bus stop in Caragh as a result. Those who cannot rely on public transport are forced to wait 28 weeks for driving tests in Naas. Last week, a constituent who applied for a test six months ago told me that

public transport by an average of 15% is a political decision. It is happening because this Government refuses to invest in the National Transport Authority, NTA, in the expansion of the network and ultimately in its passengers. We now know this is only the start of the fare … demand that these fare increases are reversed and that they do not happen. The Government is making this decision during a climate emergency, when we should be doing everything in our power to incentivise the use of public transport, not disincentivise it. It is making this decision amid

still delayed until 2028. It was initially promised in 2025. We now have a fare increase that is 15% above inflation. Loads of well-populated urban areas in Limerick have no public transport. The Government should have front-loaded that in this year's budget. I would like

issue in north County Dublin. The National Transport Authority conducted significant work on a fare determination policy, which the previous Government progressed. I will ask Deputy O'Brien, in his new role as transport Minister, to respond to the Deputy's concerns. He is very familiar with north … wider emphasis is on making sure public transport is more affordable and supporting commuters who come into town. I will ask the Minister, with the NTA, to respond to the Deputy's concerns in the context of overall fare policy