Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On fares, I agree that public transport must be affordable in addition to being reliable and frequent. That is why we have introduced a 50% reduction for those under 24. It will be introduced next year. It is the reason for the 90-minute fare structure, which allows for efficiencies such that passengers can jump from a DART or Luas to a bus without having to pay more than once. Regarding the budgetary decisions, towns such as Mallow, which are on the outer edge of a commuter belt, can and should be included. A colleague was on to me today asking about including Skerries in the 90-minute fare category. We will have to keep looking, reviewing and adapting.

The Connecting Ireland project is starting next year. We committed €5.7 million. It is not that it is going to wait until 2025; it is starting next year. We provided a huge increase in the public service obligation, PSO, support but it cannot carry everything. We cannot reduce fares wholesale everywhere. We will need additional PSO money. For example, with regard to Connecting Ireland the estimate is €55 million a year. That must come from somewhere. While I am keen to try to increase the PSO, we cannot just give up on fare income as one of the sources of income for public transport.