Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)

The Department and the NTA have been working hard in various ways to encourage a greater uptake of public transport services. In the context of fare increases, it is important to point out that serious savings are to be made by consumers who choose, as we are encouraging them to do, to avail of the integrated ticket, the leap card. Using a leap card can lead to savings of as much as 9% in using Dublin Bus services, 16% to 19% in using DART commuter services and 17% in using Luas services. The uptake of the leap card has been so significant that we are confident that many people are being encouraged to use public transport.

The Deputy is well aware that there have been a number of reports on the efforts of the various CIE companies. The Deloitte report on Dublin Bus shows that many cost efficiencies and savings have been made. Of course, the companies in question are always going to be seeking to make further savings. In the context of the financial position of these companies, it is important to note that Dublin Bus, Irish Rail and Bus Éireann have all made significant savings in the past year. These savings will have to be re-examined in the current economic context. However, we are happy with the way in which the companies are going in this regard.

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