Plans to get people back on buses and trains — cheaper fares and free tickets for kids
Picture: Bus On A O'connell Gareth St Chaney/collins Board Photos People Dublin
Sweeping fare reductions, including the prospect of free tickets for children, are among the incentives under consideration to encourage people back to public transport.
Despite the lifting of most Covid-19 restrictions last week, there remains concern about the numbers using public transport.
Addressing the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the National Transport Authority (NTA) said it is considering alternative flexible options for Taxsaver tickets to make it more attractive for workers who will be travelling to their offices less frequently due to new blended work arrangements.
Discounted fares for 19- to 23-year-olds were announced in the budget and are being worked on, while a "kids go free" measure is under consideration at the moment too.
The PAC also discussed the €2bn BusConnects revamp of bus services in Dublin, described as "deplorable" in some areas.
The NTA is the body responsible for the implementation of the project, which will see the entire bus network in the capital and its environs revamped into eight ‘spines’ and 16 core bus corridors. There are also expansion plans for other major cities, including Cork.
NTA chief executive Anne Graham told the committee that two phases of the BusConnects network were completed in 2021, with a further three set for rollout in 2022. The two completed phases, the C and H spines, were criticised at the meeting by Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy. Her constituency of Leixlip in Kildare is served by the C spine.
“My experience with BusConnects is horrendous,” she said. “You say that two phases have been delivered successfully — they haven’t been.”
BusConnects, the largest overhaul of the capital’s bus services in a generation, has seen expenditure of €149.1m to date — split between route design and fleet investment.
The project is currently awaiting a Government decision on its preliminary business case, the NTA said, which, if granted, will see planning applications made for the system’s 16 core bus corridors.
Addressing Ms Graham, Ms Murphy said that she is “hugely disappointed” that there has not been an opportunity for the public to directly engage regarding BusConnects.
"I have found the whole process highly frustrating. I think you’d better get the H and C spine right before you roll the other ones out."
The TD said while some parts of the C spine may work, others are “deplorable”.
Ms Graham said she was “very disappointed” to hear the criticism.
“It is difficult in terms of measuring success in Covid, because we know that only 50% of passengers are travelling at the moment,” she said.
She said the empty buses Ms Murphy had noted “could be because of restrictions”.
“It is difficult to test a system when operating in abnormal conditions,” the NTA chief replied. “We will change in response to demand.”