Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the witnesses for coming in to talk to us today. I really appreciate it. My home constituency is Dublin Fingal West. We have a large population that is rapidly increasing so public transport and connectivity are important. It will come as no surprise that I want to focus on the national fare strategy which was agreed in 2023. The aim of it is very laudable, namely, to provide consistent and equitable fares across Ireland, based on distance travelled as the crow flies. People in zone 2 have been penalised by the new fare structure. They are being asked to subsidise those travelling from zones 3 and 4. It is simply unfair. The people in my constituency, in the towns of Balbriggan and Skerries, have faced hefty hikes and increases of 30% and more on fares. Children's fares have tripled, which is unacceptable, unsustainable and pretty much without warning. Significant numbers of children between the towns go to different schools and their parents could have between one and four children travelling by train. I am inundated with complaints from parents.

To add insult to injury, fairer fares based on distance travelled only seem to apply when travelling towards Dublin. A person travelling from Dublin Pearse Station to Drogheda, which is a journey length of 52 km, is charged €7.80, while a person travelling from Balbriggan to Drogheda, which is a journey of only 16 km, is also charged €7.80. That is pretty outrageous if we say we are introducing equitable fares based on distance travelled. I would like the witnesses to acknowledge that the fares system is not fair for those travelling from zone 2, and in particular it is penal for parents whose children travel frequently by train.

I am not sure how the NTA came up with the formula for the fares structure, but I would very much like the witnesses to look into it and to come back to us and advise us on how the inequality and unfairness in fares can be resolved. In the interim, it is important that a cap is placed on children's weekly fares. Could Mr. Creegan please respond?