Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the Ceann Comhairle giving me the opportunity to raise this important issue. I also appreciate that the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Canney, is here to reply.

Bus commuters on the Cavan-Dublin route were absolutely shocked to learn on 16 June of a massive increase in fares from that date. A daily return ticket from Cavan to Dublin was increased from €18.50 to €27.30, an increase of almost 50%. I was not aware of the proposed increase and I know from regular commuters on that route who contacted me that they were also unaware.

Over recent years there has been a welcome increase in the frequency of bus services in both rural and urban areas which we all welcome. The policy of successive Governments has been to encourage people to use public transport where possible. That policy has been supported practically unanimously by the Oireachtas. To encourage people to switch to public transport there is a need for reasonably priced fares. The decision by the National Transport Authority in the case of the route I am discussing is not fair and it is not equitable. Those fares must be reviewed and reduced. Typically on a bus any morning there are people going to work, students going to college, people going to hospital appointments and people going about their ordinary business. As the Minister of State will be aware there is a commitment in the programme for Government to keep fares low and affordable. I think the people on that particular route would question how that policy is being implemented.

A young lady who travelled on the route five days a week contacted me and sent me an extract from the relevant website. The question posed on the website was, “What this means for commuters” and the answer was, “From June 16th, fares on commuter services provided by both Bus Éireann and Go-Ahead Ireland are to change with some decreasing, some increasing, and some largely unchanged.” There was no mention of Cavan fares and the massive increase proposed there. That young lady did some research and said it appears to be by far the highest fare increase in recent times.

I am asking the Minister of State to ask the National Transport Authority to review that determination as urgently as possible and to have the fare substantially reduced to the range of what it was until 16 June. As he will know, the three counties of Ulster in this State, namely, Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan, do not have a rail service. When we travel from Cavan to Dublin we pay two tolls on the way to the outskirts of Dublin city. There is a lot of congestion in the outer Dublin area and in the city. People want to use public transport but they want to have it at a reasonable price.

I sincerely request that the National Transport Authority be told to review this matter, reduce the fares and ensure that commuters from Cavan to Dublin and Dublin to Cavan are treated with respect and provided with a reasonable fare structure.

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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The Deputy has spoken to me before about this issue. I really appreciate his bringing it to light.

From the outset, I would like to clarify that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally rests with the National Transport Authority. The NTA works with the public transport operators, which deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters.

The NTA also has statutory responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation, PSO, contracts.

In this context, the NTA published the national fares strategy in 2023. This aims to create a more equitable, consistent and easy-to-understand fare system based on distance travelled. In line with this strategy, the NTA published fare determinations in January 2024 covering the Dublin city zone, 25 km from the city centre, and the Dublin commuter zone, 50 km from the city centre. This determination is being implemented in two phases. The second phase of this determination was introduced on 28 April 2025 with new multimodal fare caps and revised commuter rail fares.

Phase 2b, pertaining to adjustments to commuter bus fares, commenced on 16 June 2025. I understand these are the fares to which the Deputy referred. This builds on the previous rail fare changes introduced in April. The new zones and fare structures, which have been widely publicised, aim to deliver more consistent and equitable fares and reduce disparities, particularly in the outer commuter towns surrounding Dublin. These are distance-based fares.

The existing fare structures were not always equitable, consistent or easy for passengers to understand, and the new distance-based approach aims to address this by providing a fairer and clearer fare system. In Cavan, fares have seen an increase in the single adult category from €9.45 to €11.40. It is important to note that these fare changes will see increases for some passengers and decreases for others in order to allow for a more equitable fares structure, and it is the NTA’s intention to roll out further changes in future determinations during 2025.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for the reply. The figure I have been given, and the fare I know people are paying, is the return fare, which increased from €18.50 to €27.30. That is a somewhat different percentage increase than that for the single fare he cited. He quite correctly said the intention is to have a fair charging system. That is not applicable in the case of the Cavan route I referenced in my introductory remarks.

One issue I have been raising since before the Minister of State was appointed, during the term of office of the former Minister, Eamon Ryan, was the need to introduce a direct Cavan to Dublin service, leaving Cavan in the morning at peak times, 5 a.m. or 6 a.m., stopping in only Virginia and Whitegate on the Cavan-Meath border and then going directly to Busáras. At the moment, most services go through Kells and other Meath towns, which means it takes those wishing to travel from Cavan to Dublin longer.

In the evening time, when people are returning to Cavan, if they leave at around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when the bus for Cavan reaches Blanchardstown or Phibsborough, it is sometimes full. Many passengers on the bus are passengers going to Meath towns, where there is a welcome frequency of buses to Navan and Kells. Local employees in Bus Éireann are as anxious as commuters and I are to see direct routes leaving Busáras at peak evening times, between 3.30 p.m and 5.30 p.m., that would stop only at Whitegate on the Cavan-Meath border, Virginia and Cavan town.

As I said, early morning buses from Cavan should leave Cavan, stop at Virginia and Whitegate and then travel directly to Busáras. That would considerably enhance the standard of service for commuters and people travelling every day. I know it is very difficult for Bus Éireann employees to see patients leaving James Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown having to wait hours to get on a bus. That is not acceptable. I hope the Minister of State can raise the issue with the Minister.

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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I assure the Deputy the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, in budget 2025 the Department of Transport secured €658 million in funding, an increase from €613 million for 2024.

This funding supports the continuation of the 20% fare reduction in PSO services, the young adult card for PSO and commercial bus services and the 90-minute rail fare until the end of 2025. The Deputy referenced a return fare increase from €18.50 to €27.30. I will check that. It seems like a large increase.

I will examine peak-time morning and evening schedules. People travel from Dublin and board at different stops, and services have to let people off. It is about the experience we want to give passengers if we hope to get more and more people to use public transport. I will, however, bring these matters back to the Minister.

The Department's investment of €658 million in the PSO and Local Link services in 2025 demonstrates our commitment to a sustainable, equitable and accessible public transport network for all. It is also a sign of the times that we are now very exercised about public transport quality because more and more people are demanding it. That is a success in itself. We need to make sure people get a good experience every time.

I again thank the Deputy. I will speak to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, about the issues he has raised.