Train and bus fare hikes could add more than €200 a year to cost of commuting from Wicklow to Dublin
The Wicklow PeopleGreen Party councillor Lourda Scott has said the planned 15pc increase in rail and bus fares next year could add more than €200 a year to the cost of commuting to Dublin for Wicklow residents.
She said commuters are already dealing with congestion on the M11 and want to shift to public transport, but are now facing higher costs.
Cllr Scott described the decision as “inexplicable” during a cost of living and climate crisis and argued that government is putting “another barrier” in the way of people trying to choose sustainable transport.
Her comments come as the NTA confirmed that adult fares will rise by an average of 15pc from January.
The increase has prompted strong criticism in County Wicklow, where daily commuting to Dublin is common for education and work, and where the new fare structure introduced in 2025 has already reshaped how passengers pay for travel.
Under the 2025 changes, the NTA replaced the long-standing stage based system with a distance based zonal model. Instead of paying according to the number of stages travelled, passengers were charged based on the length of their journey within defined zones.
The shift was intended to simplify fares and remove anomalies that had developed over time, particularly for commuters travelling from outer counties.
Many Wicklow passengers saw reductions under the new model, especially those travelling longer distances on rail or bus services. However, the restructuring also meant that some shorter distance trips became more expensive.
The announcement of a 15pc increase for 2027 has now reignited debate about the affordability of public transport and whether the new structure is delivering the intended benefits.
Sinn Féin TD John Brady also condemned the fare increases, calling them a “slap in the face” to Wicklow commuters who already endure overcrowded and unreliable services.
He said people are being asked to pay more, while seeing no meaningful improvements, and criticised what he described as wasteful spending and stalled projects across the transport system.
Deputy Brady highlighted Irish Rail’s €50 million write down of its traffic management system, the €11 million Fassaroe Park and Ride facility that remains unopened, and 98 electric buses sitting idle due to a lack of charging infrastructure.
He said the government has “its priorities all wrong”, noting that no new public transport services are planned for 2026.
He also queried Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien on public transport fares and whether the government planned to review the fare zones currently operating across the Greater Dublin Area.
In a written parliamentary reply, the minister said he is responsible for policy and funding but “not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport”, emphasising that the NTA alone regulates fares under public service obligation contracts.
He pointed to the National Fares Strategy, published in April 2023, which introduced a distance based zonal system designed to make fares more equitable and easier to understand.
A first fares determination followed in January 2024, setting out how the new structure would be applied.