Budget 2027; A big step backwards for Public Transport in Dublin

Government parties have been calling Budget 2027 one that puts money back in the pockets of working people; ironic considering less than a month ago they put their hands in those pockets and made public transport more expensive for the very same people.

Digging into the fine print; the current budget for Transport has been reduced by 4.5% and the overall commitment is barely enough to cover increased operational costs and rising fuel prices.  Meanwhile many key commitments are nowhere to be seen, Dart+ South West and Luas Finglas still lack funding from the National Development Plan despite having planning permission.

In the midst of both a cost of living, and environmental crisis, it’s utterly bizzare that Government would choose to spend its exchequer surpluses on making private transport more appealing, while making buses, trains, & trams more expensive.

We’re also not convinced this will mean the remainder of the 140 promised routes will be introduced in the next twelve months. The recruitment issue hasn’t gone away and the BusConnects phases have been releasing every nine to twelve months in recent years. That means it will likely be closer to Budget 2029 before we see the full implementation of the BusConnects programme, something that was initially supposed to be done in a single day in late 2019.

With its second budget now delivered, Government have clearly shown us their priorities, and it’s certainly not people who get up early in the morning and commute to work, it’s the cars they drive and the roads they drive them on. 

Unfortunately this is just the beginning as the NTA has clearly communicated fare revenue will be 44% of their annual budget going forward. That means annual fare hikes are inevitable and we’ll likely be back to €2.50 leap card fares in central Dublin this time next year.

Dublin Commuter Coalition Chairperson; Jason Cullen said:

“Budget 2027 is a clear step backwards for Public Transport in Ireland and will be very little help to the hard-working people that Government claim to support. A typical Commuter in Dublin will likely be facing at least a €150 increase to their annual fare costs; 20% of what Government have just ‘put back in your pocket’.

Government is going in the wrong direction, people need affordable, reliable and frequent public transport. Unfortunately this budget will provide none of those things and push commuters back into private cars as the cost of living catches up with them.”