Fine Gael TD demands answers as NTA called before committee he chairs over public transport fare hikes
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has been invited to appear before the Oireachtas Transport Committee over the planned increase in public transport fares, its Tipperary chair has confirmed.
Tipperary TD Michael Murphy, who chairs the committee, said that the general public need answers on the decision to increase fares.
They have been asked to appear before the committee on September 16, following a request from Deputy Murphy for answers on the decision to increase fares by an average of 15pc.
“Passengers and commuters are entitled to understand clearly why these increases are being introduced, what alternatives were considered and what assessment was made of the impact on people who rely on public transport every day,” the Fine Gael TD said.
Earlier this week, the NTA announced that public transport fares would rise by an average of 15pc, coming into effect for commuters from January.
The NTA said the increases represent the first broad fare adjustment since 2018. Despite the rise, fares will remain an average of 8pc below 2018 levels.
The increases will apply across the entire Transport for Ireland (TFI) network, including Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Irish Rail, Luas, Go-Ahead Ireland and TFI Local Link services.
But, the Tipperary TD said that there were questions to be answered on whether the decision to increase fares at a time when people were being encouraged to use public transport more was the right move.
“Passengers shouldn’t simply be presented with a fare increase as a fait accompli. The NTA should come before the committee, explain the rationale for the decision and set out what alternatives were considered before asking passengers to pay more,” he said.
“I also want the committee to examine the wider basis for the decision, including the pressures facing the NTA, how the increases were calculated and whether every reasonable alternative was explored.
“For people commuting to work or college every day, even relatively modest increases accumulate over the course of a week, a month and a year. We need to understand what consideration was given to that impact,” the Transport Committee chair said.
The NTA have been asked to appear before the committee on September 16, with Deputy Murphy saying that decisions that impact thousands of people should be open to public scrutiny.
“I believe decisions which directly affect hundreds of thousands of passengers should be subject to proper and timely parliamentary scrutiny,” he said.