Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As many commuters have found to their cost, having to rely on public transport in Ireland, in Dublin in particular, is very challenging. A great number of people rely on public transport to get to their place of work, to university or to college. Often, however, they are faced with unpredictable delays, insufficient coverage, capacity issues and accessibility challenges for mothers with babies in prams or those with disabilities. In 2023, environmental campaign group Greenpeace ranked Dublin as the worst for public transport among 30 European capital cities. Most reliable surveys of Irish motorists show that they would be more likely to use public transport if there were substantial improvements in the issues I have outlined.

Too often, however, we have policies put in place and price rises such as the latest ones on petrol and diesel that cannot be absorbed by those whose purchasing decisions are not influenced by price. Most people struggle with increasingly costly household bills and are price-sensitive. However noble it is to restrict the use of cars, and I encourage greater use of public transport, the reality is that many people rely on their car, and with good reason. These fuel price hikes not only hurt the parent taking his or her child to school, the person going to work and the carer looking after an aged or infirm family member. These latest tax increases will add to the pressure on consumers already struggling with the cost of groceries, energy, insurance and so much more. The Government should suspend the imposition of these excise increases and give vulnerable households and those on low incomes a break in this cost-of-living crisis. As always, the people who suffer the most with such increases are economically vulnerable households. Such households are disproportionately affected by price hikes. Families need a respite from these escalating costs, and it looks like they will not get it from this Government.

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