Joint Statement: NTA’s Fare Increases are absolutely unacceptable

A joint statement from the Galway, Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Drogheda Commuter Coalitions.

The decision announced today to raise public transport fares is an absolutely unacceptable one to the organisations which represent public transport users nationwide.

In recent days the government has extended cuts to excise duty on petrol and diesel. A measure which amounts to a cost of over two million euro a day. In effect what is being asked is for those who use public transport to cover this astounding cost.

Additionally, the government has lied about the correlation between growth in Public Transport usage vs population growth. Since 2019 our population has grown by about 11%, far outstripped by the about 21% increase in usage of public transport.

Costs to run our public transport services are rising. With vastly increasing congestion our bus networks require more vehicles and drivers than ever before to maintain the same service. The schemes meant to alleviate this congestion and prioritise busses have been put on pause across the country as the promised funding has failed to materialise. This funding has been allocated to the construction of more roads.

Funding for the electrification of our railways, ensuring that they can continue to move our people during oil shocks without change has also been allocated to the construction of more roads.

Our message to the public across Ireland is clear. As you cram onto a crowded train or get passed by a full bus in the rain this winter, remember that the government is glad to raise your fares and to use the money they promised you for service improvements on the petrol that you don't burn.

The war in Iran has made it more clear than ever that Ireland must wean itself off its utter dependence on oil to help insulate it's economy and standard of living. This announcement shows that the government intends to do the exact opposite, ensuring that we are more exposed than ever to the turbulence of the oil market.

This decisions should be reversed, the capital funding for service improvements should be reinstated and Ireland should finally face up to the fact that our consumption of oil is unsustainable for our national budget, our household budgets and for our planet.