Cllr. Healy wants reduced fares for Sligo teenagers

SLIGO County Council is writing to the Minister for Transport Shane Ross to ensure country teenagers aged 16-18years will receive the same child fare prices as Dublin teenagers on public transport.

Councillor Thomas Healy raised the motion at yesterday’s first County Council meeting of the new year.

“This motion stems from a change to the fare structure made in 2014 by then Minister for Transport and current Taoiseach Leo Varadkar,” Cllr Healy told the meeting.

“This change reduced the cost of fare in the Dublin area for over 16s but left children in the remainder of the country paying adult fares. Surely it is high time for all children in the state to be afforded the same benefits now.

“The current fare structure forces children in Sligo to pay a significantly higher price for the same service, so much for all of our children being equal in 2018,” he said.

All members supported Cllr Healy’s motion, claiming it discriminated against children in rural Ireland.

Cllr Healy has written to both the Taoiseach and Minister Ross raising his concerns with the unfairness of the fare structure as it stands.

THEY in turn have forwarded the issue to the National Transport Authority for consideration and Cllr Healy is awaiting their reply.