Public Transport and Fare Increases: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-29
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Paul Lawless (AON), Mayo

This increase in public transport fares is affecting the most vulnerable citizens and many students in third level education. The reality is that because of its failure in terms of housing, this Government has displaced so many young people from university campuses right across this country and, in many cases, these young people are now living at home and commuting into college on a daily basis. They are doing so not because they want to. They have to because of Government policy. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage outlined recently that he is not even considering the demand element with regard to housing. As a result, many young people across Ireland are commuting to college and the Government is robbing them of that opportunity in terms of college life and that wonderful time of independence in one's life. The Government has put them to the train and the bus, including getting one bus to another. I have had a number of calls about problems with connecting buses for young people going to college. The Government is now increasing the fares for the privilege of having to commute to college on a daily basis. It is wrong. I hope the Minister of State saw the National Youth Council of Ireland survey that showed seven in ten young people are planning on emigrating. The Government cannot offer them a bed for college or a reliable bus route in Mayo and other rural areas but it is now increasing the fares significantly. I ask the Minister of State to reconsider this proposal regarding hiking the cost.
I also want to speak about bus transport in Mayo. I thank Citylink for its work. I worked very closely with Citylink when the Government service from Ballina to Galway pulled out. It was Citylink that actually stood up in terms of offering an additional service. It was interesting and there was an irony because Government TDs and Ministers in Mayo were jumping up and down sending out press releases and timetables with their names on them, when it was the State service that had failed and pulled out and it was the private sector that was standing up. I worked very closely with Citylink on it and, extraordinarily, at the time Citylink was unable to even get the data from the Bus Éireann service to ascertain whether or not it would put on a service. It was extraordinary that there was no communication on that. I ask the Minister of State to reconsider this position.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-29/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-29