Bus fares to rise 5% in capital but will drop by half outside

MOST public transport users in Dublin are to be hit with fare increases of around 5% from December 1 – but passengers in cities outside the capital will see prices drop.

Dublin Bus and Luas users on ‘mid-range’ journeys face increases of 10c to 15c a time but those with Leap cards will avoid most of the hikes.

Bus Éireann passengers in Cork, Galway and Limerick will see their costs cut by almost half in some cases as ‘red zone’ routes in each city will be expanded to include satellite towns.

National Transport Authority chief

46% drop in some Limerick, Cork and Galway fares

executive Anne Graham said: ‘For Dublin Bus passengers mid-range journeys are to increase by about 5%. However, about two-thirds of those passengers can beat the increase simply by moving to Leap, which will still be cheaper than the current cash fare.

‘Like Dublin Bus, fares on shorter and longer Luas journeys will be unchanged, while mid-range journeys will increase slightly. Again, in all cases, cash passengers can beat the increase by moving to Leap.’

She added: ‘There is going to be a significant decrease in many of Bus Éireann’s fares. The regional city zones have been extended to satel- lite towns in Cork, Limerick and Galway, resulting of savings of up to 46% on those fares.’

Irish Rail and Dart users will see increases averaging 1.2%, which the NTA says is in line with inflation.

After the Luas Cross City works disrupted Dublin city centre for a number of years, the company is now offering a €1 flat fee for journeys in the city centre at off-peak times, for one year.

Children aged five and under will now travel on Dublin Bus for free. Previously this only applied to those aged four and under.

Ms Graham said the changes were part of reforms to simplify fares, bring Dublin Bus and Luas fares closer to each other, and encourage more people to use Leap cards.

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said the fare hikes were unjust.

The Kildare North TD said: ‘The Dublin Bus increases mean that a significant number of people who live within the M50 and commute to work every day will see their fares rise above the inflation rate. The cost of living is already very high, and people renting in Dublin spend 55% of take-home pay on rent.’

Separately, NTA bosses have said they are ‘very disappointed’ at next week’s planned strike action by Irish Rail workers, taking place on Wednesday, and urged unions to enter talks. Workers are demanding a 3.75% pay rise but rail bosses are only prepared to offer 1.75%.