Ireland’s NTA is to enact a revised policy which it says will make fares fairer for users
Ireland’s National Transport Authority (NTA) has outlined its plans for bus and rail fares, following a review as part of its fares strategy last year. Around 80% of fares will remain unchanged, and the Transport for Ireland €2 90-minute Dublin bus fare will continue, alongside a reduced rate for monthly tickets.
Most of the discounted Leap fares introduced in 2022, including the €2 90-minute fare in Dublin, are to remain in place, says the NTA’s Fares Determination for Public Service Obligation services in the Greater Dublin Area report. The NTA says that the TFI-90 €2 fare allows passengers free transfer between Dublin Bus services, the Luas tram network and most DART, commuter rail and Go-Ahead Ireland services in Dublin, has been a huge success and has contributed to the increase in passenger numbers recorded across the city’s network last year.
Under the NTA’s new strategy, it says fares are to be determined on a more equitable and easy to understand basis, and based on the cost per kilometre travelled according to the straight line distance between the origin and destination of journey.
A new Dublin City Zone is being created and will extend around 23km from the city, broadly similar to the existing 90-minute fare zone, whilst a new Dublin Commuter Zone will reach up to around 50km from the city centre will include towns such as Drogheda, Navan, Trim, Enfield, Clane, Prosperous, Newbridge, Kildare, Greystones and Wicklow.
Also announced is a new all-modes ticket to be introduced this year, offering full access to Dublin Bus, Go-Ahead Ireland, Luas and Irish Rail services in the Dublin City Zone. At a cost of €96 per month or €960 per year. Standard bus fares in the cities of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford will remain at the discounted rate of €1.35.
The NTA says that its changes are not projected to increase overall fare revenue, but represent a rebalancing of fares so that they are fairer and more consistent across the board. It added that fares for some journeys will go up a little, while fares for others will go down, whilst most customers will see no change.
