Cheaper fares are only part of the answer to convincing motorists to switch

THE message from the National Transport Authority (NTA) is clear. Stop paying cash and switch to Leap if you want to avail of cheaper travel.

But even if more people switch over, many commuters will be unable to avoid paying more for their daily commute.

A large part of the reason is because the Government continues to under-fund services, meaning that the NTA has no option but to increase fares.

“Public-transport fare increases have been deemed to be necessary in recent years to compensate for the increased operating costs and reduced PSO (public service obligation, or government subsidy) payments,” it says.

While passenger numbers have grown since 2014, and will continue to grow by around 5pc next year, additional funding is needed to keep the show on the road.

The repeated failure of the Department of Social Protection to pay the full cost of the Free Travel Scheme means that the reduced PSO, and paying passengers, help foot the bill. And the additional PSO granted for next year, which is up by €22m, is going to pay for services already being provided.

Without a doubt, the biggest ‘winners’ in this process are Bus Éireann passengers. If people make the switch to Leap, just 15pc will be hit with fare hikes. Dublin Bus passengers come next, with 23pc in line to pay more, followed by Luas (74pc) and Irish Rail (85pc).

The move to restructure fares in Cork, Limerick and Galway is the good news story of this announcement. It means a large number of people can avail of a citywide fare, knocking up to 46pc off their daily commute. Changes are also being made for rail users.

It should encourage people to make the switch away from the car and to public transport, but there’s another problem the NTA cannot solve.

In Galway, for example, traffic is appalling. There’s little road space for buses, and the bulk of services go into the city centre before continuing to other areas. It’s not an incentive to switch, and funding will be needed to provide bus lanes and priority measures.

The NTA says this will come, but it’s needed sooner rather than later, and needs to be backed politically at local and national level so that the car becomes the exception rather than the norm.

NTA chief executive Ann Graham said Bus Éireann sought lower fares on the basis it would result in higher passenger numbers. It would not lose revenue as a result of the changes, she insisted.

Dublin Bus sought hikes of 1.3pc, and got them. Irish Rail sought 1.7pc, and got 1.4pc.

It’s in deep trouble financially, carrying an accumulated deficit of €159m. Like all the firms, it’s under-resourced.

The Government should, not just for Irish Rail but for all the public transport companies, clear their debt, sort out the pay claims for staff who haven’t seen a boost in their pay packets for years, and allow the firms to start afresh.

It also needs to fast-track money to projects that will convince a sceptical public that public transport is the way to go.