Limerick representatives speak out on public transport fare hikes

LIMERICK Council has been urged to write to the Minister for Transport and the National Transport Authority (NTA) to ask them...

LIMERICK Council has been urged to write to the Minister for Transport and the National Transport Authority (NTA) to ask them to reconsider proposed public transport fare increases.

Making the proposal at the recent full meeting of the local authority, Green Party councillor Seán Hartigan urged themove in recognition of the importance of affordable public transport to the people of Limerick. Cllr Hartigan took the view that fare increases, commencing in January 2027, undermine years of progress.

Last month, the NTA announced an average 15 per cent increase in adult fares across State-supported public transport services. The changes will affect people using services including Bus Éireann and TFI Local Link across Limerick, while fares on other public transport services are also being increased.

In a response to the Limerick Post , the NTA explained that the fare changes reflect the increasing cost of providing public transport services. They said they are necessary to support the continued operation and development of the public transport network.

However, City East representative Seán Hartigan considers this the wrong decision at the wrong time. He believes that if the Government genuinely wants people to leave their cars at home, reducing congestion, cutting emissions, and saving money, public transport must be affordable.

“People are entitled to ask what kind of message Government is sending. On the one hand, we are told to use public transport more often. On the other hand, the cost of doing so is being increased. That simply does not add up,” Cllr Hartigan told the meeting.

“Unfortunately, this is not an isolated decision. It is part of a broader pattern of environmental and climate backsliding that has become increasingly apparent over the last two years.”

The Green Party councillor said that “we have seen climate and nature funding diverted from its original purpose. We have seen delays to key climate action plans. We have seen a weakening of the commitment to prioritise public transport investment. And now the Government is proposing to remove environmental assessment requirements for housing developments of up to 250 units and certain related infrastructure projects, claiming it is necessary to reduce red tape and speed up delivery.”

Cllr Hartigan went on to say that this latest decision paints a picture of a Government steadily rowing back on climate ambition, biodiversity protection, and sustainable transport.

“If we are serious about climate action, we cannot keep making public transport less attractive. We cannot claim to support sustainable travel while increasing fares. And we cannot claim to value environmental protection while simultaneously dismantling many of the protections designed to safeguard our environment.

“The climate crisis has not gone away. Biodiversity loss has not gone away. The flooding events experienced by communities around the country have not gone away.”

Meanwhile, in the Dáil, Sinn Féin TD for Limerick, Maurice Quinlivan called on the Government to support his party’s motion to scrap the planned public transport fare increases and introduce free public transport for all under-18s.

“Workers and families in Limerick are already under enormous pressure from the rising cost of living. The last thing they need is for the Government to make it more expensive to get to work, school, college or other essential services. Yet that is exactly what this Government is pressing ahead with,” Deputy Quinlivan said.

Instead of prioritising pay rises for public transport CEOs, the Limerick politician now wants Government to put ordinary workers and families first and scrap price hikes. He also called for a bus service on the Condell Road, deeming the current situation with no local service as “shambolic”.

“Simon Harris says he wants a budget for people who get up early. These are the very people who face long commutes every day, who are already struggling with rising household bills and living costs. Now the Government expects them to pay more. These fare hikes are a slap in the face to ordinary workers, students, pensioners and families,” he added.

Concluding his comments, Deputy Quinlivan indicated that the Government can either make workers and families pay more, or it can choose to support commuters and invest in affordable public transport.

“Public transport should be safe, affordable, and accessible. No child should miss out on opportunities because of the cost of travel. Free public transport for young people would help families with the cost of living, encourage public transport use, and make our transport system more accessible for everyone.”

Limerick Labour Party TD Conor Sheehan believes that if the Government was serious about public transport, it would fund it “properly”. He hit out that the fare hike makes absolutely no sense and, as a political choice, “is a very bad one”.

“We have climate, cost-of-living, and energy crises, yet the Government is slapping 15 per cent onto public transport fares because the capital plan for transport is not worth the paper it is written on. That is a fact. It is a complete fiction and the Government needs to plug the gap somewhere,” Deputy Sheehan declared.

County Limerick Independent TD Richard O’Donoghue was equally unimpressed, suggesting that if the Government was a business, it would be bust. He also accused the coalition of making bad decisions and wasting money.

“This Government is not compliant. Every year it goes over budget but the difference between the Government and a business is that the Government inflicts pain on everyone in this country to fix mistakes,” said Deputy O’Donoghue.

In response, Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien said that Public Service Obligation (PSO) journeys have continued to grow steadily, reaching a record 363.5 million passenger journeys by the end of 2025. This, he told Oireachtas members, represents an increase of six per cent or almost 20 million journeys over the 2024 total of 343.6 million.

“This sustained and significant growth in passenger numbers underlines the extent to which people are increasingly relying on public transport and demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining and investing in the network to meet this demand,” Minister O’Brien stated.

Passenger fare revenue, he continued, is a critical component of the funding base, and is essential to maintaining the financial sustainability of the network into the future.

The Minister said that “since 2022, passengers have benefited from a 20 per cent cost of living fare reduction, extension of the 90-minute fare, a 50 per cent discount for young adults and students, free travel for children under nine years of age, and extensions to the eligibility of the Free Travel Scheme, which is run separately by the Department for Social Protection”.

“Even following the 2026 adjustment, fares remain approximately eight per cent lower in real terms than they were eight years ago, and the additional revenue generated through this determination together with continued Exchequer investment, will help the NTA manage rising operating costs, improve capacity and reliability on existing services, and continue the rollout of new services,” he concluded.