Reduced Public Transport Fares to Roll-out from April

Taxsaver fares on all subsidised public transport services are to be reduced by an average of 20% from the beginning of April, as the first phase in the implementation of the programme to reduce public transport fares, announced by Minister Ryan in February.

The reduced Taxsaver fares apply to customers on all subsidised Public Service Obligation (PSO) public transport services, including those provided by Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus, Luas and Go-Ahead Ireland.

Customers purchasing annual or monthly Taxsaver tickets in 2022 that are valid from the beginning of April will see an immediate 20% reduction in the cost of their ticket. Any customer who wishes to purchase a Taxsaver ticket for April should make the appropriate arrangements with their employer.

Taxsaver customers who have already purchased an annual ticket at the non-reduced rate, will also benefit from the fare reduction, as an additional three-month period of validity will automatically be added to all existing annual tickets with no action required on the part of the customer or their employer.

Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD said:

“In February I was delighted to announce the introduction of a 20% average reduction on public transport fares from April. Today marks the first step in the roll-out of these fare reductions. In April and early May, we will be going further by rolling out the average 20% fare reduction on all PSO services for the travelling public until the end of 2022, as well as introducing the Young Adult Card in May, which will reduce fares for young people under 24 by a further average 50%. These reduced fares will put money back into people’s pockets and will benefit hundreds of thousands of people across the country who use PSO public transport every day. They also have the added benefit of accelerating our shift to more efficient and affordable public transport and moving us away from a reliance on private transport.”

Anne Graham, CEO, National Transport Authority:

“I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome this fares-reduction initiative by the government. I believe it will have a very positive impact on passenger numbers by encouraging more people back on board in the weeks and months ahead. This is a signal that now more than ever, public transport provides a more affordable and more sustainable alternative. I’d like to thank the transport operators and the NTA team for the work they have put into getting this over the line.”

The introduction of this reduction in Taxsaver fares represents just the first stage of an overall programme to reduce public transport fares.

In mid-April, fares on all non-Dublin city PSO services and on certain Iarnród Éireann services will be reduced by an average of 20%. This will include:

• All Bus Éireann PSO services

• Go-Ahead Ireland commuter services

• Local Link

• Irish Rail web-fares

Further, in early May, the full implementation of the 20% average fare reduction will be completed, with fares being cut on all PSO services in the Greater Dublin Area, and on Iarnród Éireann services including on intercity services. This phase will include:

• Dublin Bus

• Go-Ahead Ireland

• Luas

• DART

• Commuter rail

• Iarnród Éireann

The roll-out of the May phase of the 20% average discount, will coincide with implementation of the average 50% fare reduction for customers under the age of 24 through the Young Adult Card.

ENDS

Note to Editor

• A key objective of Government is to provide all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options.

• To support this, in Budget 2022, the Department of Transport secured c. €538m of funding for Public Service Obligation (PSO) and Local Link services.

• In addition, €25m was provided to introduce a Young Adult Card which will enable any person aged between 19 and 23 years old to avail of an average fare discount of 50% across all PSO public transport services – this is after the average 20% general discount so equates to an approx. 60% discount overall. This initiative will promote modal shift among this age cohort and contribute towards a reduced reliance on private transport.

• Further, as part of a suite of new measures being introduced by Government to help combat the rising cost-of-living being experienced throughout the country, a 20% average fare reduction on PSO services until the end of 2022. A further €54m in Exchequer funding has been secured to allow for the introduction of these discounted fares

• With regard to the timing of the roll-out of the various fare reductions, sufficient time is needed to make and test the necessary changes to the wide array of ticketing systems employed across the network, including, the Leap card, on-board ticketing equipment, vending machines and online web platforms. Further, updates are needed across all the PSO operators, at the different stations and depots, as well as on thousands of individual vehicles, to ensure the discounts are applied across the board.