Public Transport and Fare Increases: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-29
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Donna McGettigan (SF), Clare

At a time when families are struggling with the cost of living and this Government keeps telling us that it is listening, I have to ask, who is it listening to? Is it listening to ordinary households or to the big CEOs? While families are struggling with the cost of living, we have seen huge pay increases for CEOs and now we are seeing transport fare hikes that in some cases will see fares for children increase by over 100%. That is not fairness and is not putting people first.
As someone who uses public transport, I have experienced standing in all sorts of weather for a bus that simply does not show up. In Clare, a largely rural county, people are expected to put up with a lack of bus services, an unreliable service and now they are being told that they need to pay more for it. That is unacceptable.
Students are already struggling. Many who cannot find accommodation because of the Government's failure to provide enough student housing are commuting long distances just to access education and are now being asked to pay even more on top of the enormous costs already associated with their education. What message are we sending to young people?
Families are struggling to put food on the table. Parents are doing everything they can to keep households going and children are watching this and asking if that is what they want for their future. The National Youth Council of Ireland has highlighted that seven in ten young adults believe they would have a better quality of life if they left Ireland. These are not young people simply saying that they want to travel, explore the world and come back. They are telling us that they could have a better life somewhere else and that is shameful.
Public transport is not a luxury; it is a necessity. People should trust that their bus or train will arrive and that they will be able to afford to get on it. It should never be a barrier to education, work, medical appointments or to simply participate in ordinary, everyday living. We have a Government that talks about expanding public transport while failing to put in the resources to put it in place. The Ennis town bus route was meant to be up and running in early 2025 but will not be in place until, hopefully, mid-October of this year.
I am calling on the Government to cancel these planned hikes and to be more ambitious by giving free public transport for every child and young adult under 18.

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Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-29