Fares changes to yield average of 1% in revenue
Authority streamlining fares, encouraging more Leap card usage, funding transport service provision
The National Transport Authority today (October 30th, 2015) published its Fares Determination reports for 2016 – the annual decisions on fares to be charged by the contracted public transport operators in Ireland – Dublin Bus, Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann and Luas (Transport Infrastructure Ireland). Operators are permitted to implement these fares changes from December 1st 2015, (except for a small of number Cork-based fares changes which are conditional on Leap card being accepted on certain rail services in Cork).
Fares for the year ahead are set with the aim of maintaining customer support and passenger numbers while ensuring financial stability for the operators. In addition, the Authority has used the fares determinations process over a number of years to simplify fares structures and to encourage more people to use Leap card to pay for their journeys by delivering a wide differential between Leap and cash fares.
Anne Graham, CEO of the National Transport Authority said: “The Authority inherited a highly complex and sometimes illogical fares structure when we took on the regulation of public transport services in Ireland at the end of 2009. We have been moving, over the intervening years, to simplify and streamline public transport fares, so that the prices people pay more accurately reflect the journeys they’re making, and at the same time to cut back on the wide array of different fare types, stages and products, so that the whole question over the cost of travel is an easier one to understand. This process will continue over the next few years.
“We also want to further incentivise people to choose Leap card to pay for their travel – by maintaining a substantial price differential between Leap fares and cash fares. Leap card is now used to pay for some 1.5 million public transport journeys in Ireland every week – representing about €2.5 million in electronic transactions, which are cheaper for the operators to manage, and mean that the passenger benefits from shorter wait-times at each stop as people pay, as well as paying less for their trip – Leap will always be at least 20% cheaper than cash for a single journey”.
“Also, fares make a considerable contribution to funding the costs of delivering transport services right across Ireland. In addition to the state-provided Public Service Obligation (PSO) subsidy and the Free Travel Scheme, fares help to fund the operating costs of the services we deliver,” she added.
Full details of the Fares Determinations are available online at www.nationaltransport.ie :
Dublin Bus Fares Determination 2016
Iarnród Éireann Fares Determination 2016
Bus Éireann Fares Determination 2016
In summary, fares from December 1st 2015 will change as follows:
Dublin Bus:
Given the additional PSO budget that is available to the Authority for 2016, only very modest fares increases have been approved. (Details of fares increases requested are available in the full Dublin Bus determination report)
Iarnród Éireann:
The Authority has approved some moderate fares increases for 2016 rail services. (Details of fares increases requested are available in the full Iarnród Éireann determination report). Increases are being kept to a minimum to protect passenger numbers, summarised as follows:
Bus Éireann:
Luas:
