Seanad debates
Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
National Transport Authority
1:00 pm
Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for being here. It is really appreciated. It will not be a surprise to anybody listening in or to anyone in the Chamber, including the Minister of State, that I am speaking about the issue of public transport in Kildare. The population in Kildare has grown in a huge way in the past years. Many people who live in Kildare travel to Dublin for work and for other reasons. It is hugely important that we have the whole area of public transport right. I refer especially to the short hop zone that currently exists. Sallins is just over 10 km from Newbridge yet here is a minimum 57% differential between the price of someone travelling to Houston Station in Dublin from Newbridge and from Sallins. As a result, people in Newbridge and from the far side of Newbridge are bypassing Newbridge station. They are driving on the roads at a time when we are trying to encourage people to actually use public transport . They are travelling on to Sallins where the second car park is now full and people are trying to find other spaces. This is all because we do not have equity of pricing when travelling from Newbridge and from Sallins.
A motion I tabled in this House for extending the short hop zone, although it does not have to be in that name, to 50 km was accepted unanimously. As the Minister of State is aware, this has become Fianna Fáil policy. I am aware he is committed to this. I thank him for meeting with me, members of the community, public representatives and members of the lobby group that came together in relation to commuter strategy in order to try to ensure equity and fairness in the context of prices. A commitment was given by the National Transport Authority, NTA, that a fairer strategy on fares would be forthcoming. Initially, this was going to be in July then we heard it was going to be mid-September. It is now mid-October. People need to make decisions about whether they will buy annual tickets, and they will do so in the context of travelling to Dublin. It is very important that the announcement I expected to have been made at this stage is made in order that we have clarity in respect of costs. That is very important, not just for people who are working but also for students. In saying that I absolutely do want to welcome the extension of the 50% reduction in fares for students and that it is extended to those aged 23 to 25. It is really important, along with the other 20% reduction. Going forward, we must know the pricing and how that is going to work for the people I represent.Along with that, of course, we need to have rural transport and urban transport linking in with our trains. At the moment we do not have a town bus. For people living on the other side of Newbridge, it is a 3 km walk or drive. For many people there is then the problem of getting up and taking car parking space. There is obviously a cost to that element also. We need a transport system which will connect people with our trains and with the service we provide.
Also in rural areas like at Athgarvan, Suncroft and Rathangan, they need to be able to access a type of public transport in order to get in and to use the public transport fares, be that bus or train. I appreciate the Minister of State's attendance here and I hope that he has some news for us with regard to the clarity which both myself and those I represent in south Kildare are looking for. I thank the Minister of State.
Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach and Senator O’Loughlin for raising this important Commencement matter, and I welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue with Members of the House today. I also want to acknowledge the Senator's consistent advocacy for this on behalf of constituents and also in connecting the local campaign with the Government and with the National Transport Authority who are progressing this.
The Senator's question is on the implementation of the national fares strategy 2023 and how this will benefit commuters in south Kildare such as those residing in Newbridge and Kildare town, which are outside the short hop zone.
As the Senator knows, the Government is strongly committed to improving public transport services throughout the country by providing a cost-efficient and accessible public transport sector. This means that whether it is giving people a genuine alternative to car dependency, or a more integrated transport network, the Government's vision for the public transport network is ambitious.
In this context, under Budget 2023, the Department of Transport secured €563.55 million of funding for the public service obligation, PSO, and Transport for Ireland, TFI, Local Link services. More recently, the Department secured a €611 million funding package for the PSO programme under budget 2024. This includes funding for the continuation of the 20% average fare reduction on PSO services and an extension of the upper age limit of the young adult card initiative from 23 years-of-age to 25 years-of-age. It also includes funds for the continued roll-out of important transport projects throughout the country.
As the Senator will be aware as part of the programme for Government, we committed to review existing fare structures to ensure that public transport is as accessible as possible, supports the delivery of services, and incentivises off-peak travel.
I would like to clarify that it is the National Transport Authority which has statutory responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under PSO contracts. To this end, in its capacity as the fare regulator, on 27 April the NTA published a new national fares strategy 2023. This strategy follows the previous implementation of a simplified fares structure for Dublin, and proposes an approach that is more equitable, consistent, and easy to understand for passengers. This new approach will apply to fares on PSO services outside the Dublin metropolitan area and will complement the planned roll-out of public transport projects such as BusConnects and Connecting Ireland. I understand that the NTA does not intend to introduce changes to the existing fare structure until later this year following the full completion of a fare determination process.
With regard to the specific impact of the new national fares strategy 2023 on commuters in south Kildare who are outside of the short hop zone, I understand that the strategy includes the creation of a new Dublin commuter zone, which will apply to those areas. In effect, this means that for commuters travelling from the Dublin commuter zone into the more central Dublin city zone, the lower of the following fares will apply: the national fare structure i.e. boarding charge plus an incremental fare based on the straight-line distance between the start and end stop of your journey; or the flat Xpresso Dublin city fare plus an incremental fare based on the straight-line distance between the start of your journey and the Dublin city zone boundary.
This approach will ensure that the cheapest fare is made available for passengers and will help alleviate boundary issues between the national and city fare structures. I am further advised that the NTA intends to finalise and publish this fares determination in the coming weeks, which is expected to include plans for implementation of the initial phase of the national fares strategy 2023. This will include the formalisation of new Dublin city and Dublin commuter zone boundaries simplified to Leap capping, along with changes to some Intercity rail and town bus fares.Details of fare changes in the Dublin city and commuter area will be available in the fares determination when it is published.
Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. I acknowledge the level of funding in terms of the package that has been received for 2024, which is significant. I also accept his clarification that the NTA has statutory responsibility for the regulation of fares. However, as I started off by saying, the short-hop zone in its current format disadvantages commuters living outside of the zone, particularly those in south Kildare, in Newbridge, in Kildare and further on. At this time they are still being disadvantaged until the fare differential is published. I take it from what he is saying that the Minister of State expects to that to happen within the next few weeks and that there will be an announcement thereafter in regard to new fares going forward. Has he any idea of the timeline? Time is moving and people need to be clear about what their output needs to be and the savings that they can make.
Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to reassure Senator O'Loughlin that the Government is strongly committed to delivering a cost-efficient and sustainable public transport network and the review of existing fare structures has a key role to play in achieving those goals. The rationale for implementing the new national fares strategy is to remove the current inconsistencies in the existing fare structure which the Senator has highlighted. As we all know this can be frustrating for public transport users. She is correct when she says that when we engaged with many of her constituents and those involved in advocating for this change, it was clear the anomalies are not sustainable and do not promote the wider use of public transport for commuters. That is why in such places as Kildare and other commuter zones this will have to change, and why it is a priority for us in the programme for Government. The objective of the strategy is to ensure that the cost of travel does not vary unduly depending on the route taken or the location in the country. The Senator has set out an example of why the current approach has to change. The objective is to ensure that the cost per kilometre travelled does not vary unduly and is related to a straight-line distance between the origin and destination of the journey rather than the route taken, and that the fares are consistent whereby customers can understand the fare being charged and how it relates to the journey being taken. We welcome the publication of the national fares strategy, which is the first step in the process. The publication of the fares determination will be made in the coming weeks. That is the next step in the process to provide clarity of the level of change regarding the revised distance-based fares. I trust this clarifies the current position with regard to the implementation of the national fares strategy and how it will benefit many of the commuters and constituents in south Kildare. I appreciate the Senator's advocacy on this issue over the past number of weeks and months. There will be progress for commuters in south Kildare.
Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. Senator O'Loughlin has raised a very important issue. It very much affects the people in County Clare because we do not have a short hop zone. I look forward to the process that the Minister of State has outlined. It will make a real difference to people's lives. I apologise to the Minister of State for the confusion at the beginning of his time here. We appreciate his time. We know how busy he is. We commend him on the great work he does on road safety and other areas within his brief.