Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister mentioned a reduction in fares. Only last week, there was an outrageous proposal that commuters would be punished for the Government's failure to deliver essential transport infrastructure. Last Friday, it was reported that commuters would be subject to increased fares to pay for public transport infrastructure and some of these projects have already been in the pipeline for decades. When we are trying to encourage more people to take public transport the last thing the Government should do is blame the victim by punishing commuters who need to get to work, go to college and attend medical appointments by making public transport more expensive for them,

Ordinary workers and families in the middle of this cost-of-living crisis can barely afford to make ends meet. They should not be forced to bear the burden of the decades of Government failures in public transport. In fact, it should be the opposite. The previous Government was dragged kicking and screaming by the former Minister to a better position but blaming and punishing commuters is a regressive step. It is not a zero-sum game and one set of priorities must not be sacrificed for another. The fare reductions must be kept in place.

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