‘I’ll consider public transport as petrol is too dear’

MOTORISTS are being persuaded by the Budget into changing their behaviour, with public transport an increasingly attractive alternative, according to one car owner.

Niamh Ferguson, 37, from Ballbriggan in north Co. Dublin, drives into her office in the city centre most days, but works from home on others.

But after yesterday’s announcement of the retention of the 20% average fare discount on public transport throughout next year, she’s considering ditching her daily two-hour trek in traffic down the M1 for the train.

Ms Ferguson commented: ‘There was no reduction at the pump but it’s good the levy is staying.

‘The plus for me is the reduction in public transport fares so I think that will massively make me consider the train to work instead of the car. With the reduction in transport costs I would most definitely consider the train.’

She drives a hybrid car but her petrol bill is around €60 a week as she often returns to her family in Cavan.

‘I’m up and down a lot to Cavan a lot and petrol prices are a killer at the moment... I find that’s eating into my disposable cash now,’ she said.

She added: ‘I feel like I’m constantly standing at the petrol pumps putting petrol in. You see €50 and wonder: “How is it still going?”

‘A few months ago it was going over €60 to fill it when it went very high. ‘I’m lucky I’m not working in the office guaranteed five days a week.

‘I’d be at the petrol station twice a week to fill up. ‘I do maybe two to three days in the office and then two days home but I’ll be driving between areas.’

Ms Ferguson, left, said the cost-of-living crisis has convinced her to reflect on her car use more than ever, and to explore alternative modes of getting around.

‘You’re more conscious now,’ she remarked. I would never have thought a few years ago about offering to drive places, now you’re thinking: “Oh God, that’s going to cost me.”’

She continued: ‘Somebody was talking about going to Cork recently to a concert. They ended up flying into Kerry for it because of a return flight for half of what it would have cost to drive.

‘I would never have thought like that before. But now with the price of petrol, it’s fairly depressing.

‘It’s changing my behaviour. People are changing what they do and you can see people changing.

‘I work with a guy from Belfast and he’s driving up but he’s getting the train now because it’s a long drive, it’s 100 miles, so he’s going to start getting the train down because cost-wise it’s just too much to drive.

‘It’s hard to justify it because you know it was a lot cheaper a long time ago.’