Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this matter. I appreciate having the opportunity to talk about something very positive, although I am looking for some more detail on its implementation. This is very important for commuters in south Kildare, Drogheda, Wicklow and parts of Meath. Since my election to the Oireachtas, I have advocated very strongly for better commuter fares for south Kildare. The population in Kildare has grown a great amount over recent years. Because of the price of accommodation, rent and housing in Dublin, many people who are working or studying there travel from Kildare every day. It is really important that we get the whole area of public transport right. It needs to be accessible and affordable. I have worked closely with the NTA and the Minister of State, Deputy Jack Chambers, in recent years. Of course, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, represents this whole area at Cabinet.

Our main issue related to the differential between the fares from Sallins, which is the short-hop zone, and from the next stop, Newbridge, which is outside that zone. The differential there was very big. People were basically bypassing Newbridge Station to park in Sallins, keeping cars on the road when what we all want to do is to keep them off the road and to have people use public transport, which is something I know the Minister of State is very committed to. The launch of the new national fares strategy by the NTA was certainly a very positive step in the right direction in bringing greater price equity to local commuters. We waited a number of months to find out what the final fare would be. Last week's announcement was really important for the people I represent. The reduction in a single adult fare from Newbridge is 45%, which is very significant. People in Kildare town will see a 37% reduction. This new outer Dublin commuter zone is really important. We had the Minister of State, Deputy Jack Chambers, down the week before to put another bit of pressure on. We have had a number of false dawns but are now really on the way towards providing a better deal for local commuters. Under the new determination, the single fare from Newbridge to Dublin will be €6 while the same fare from Kildare town will be €7.50. It is a great win and I am really glad to have played a part in it. I pay tribute to Jennifer Caffrey and the short-hop zone lobby group, who have done a lot of work over the last two years to keep the pressure on with regard to this issue.

We are obviously very keen to ensure this is implemented as soon as possible. As soon as we have a very positive announcement, all of the questions come along. Most importantly, when are we going to see these fares being put in place? We want to see them as a matter of urgency. Commuters in Newbridge and Kildare have been paying multiples of what their peers in Sallins pay for years so we want to see this rectified as soon as possible. We also want to see town buses in Newbridge and Kildare that will collect people in estates and bring them to the train. We want to see the new carriages that have been committed to and integrated ticketing being brought in as part of next generation ticketing. However, the most immediate issue is the timing and ensuring that these fares are implemented as soon as possible.