Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State again. It is essential that we as a Government support the reduction in the burden on people, particularly in the context of the cost-of-living crisis. I, of course, welcome the 50% existing reduction for students and the 20% reduction for everybody else and I would very much like to see that continue into 2023 and beyond.

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If further scope is available to us in the sustainability of the fare reductions I would like us to do it on an ongoing basis and that it would become a cornerstone of the Department of Transport's policy to try to reduce the burden on people and to encourage them to use public transport rather than their own private vehicles.

The Minister of State mentioned the 90-minute scheme. Of course, it is extremely welcome but it does exclude two major commuter towns in my constituency in Dublin which is unfair. Skerries and Balbriggan are excluded from the 90-minute fare. I believe that if you are a Dub you should be treated the same as the other Dubs, to be quite frank. There are issues with fares increasing when you go into Meath and Louth where the fares jump quite a significant amount. I have said here before that I think people who are using public transport should not be unnecessarily penalised for a couple of extra kilometres to get to Laytown, Bettystown or other places like that. It is unnecessary. We need to encourage more people to use public transport, not fewer. I would ask that the Minister consider that in the context of budgetary discussions.

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