Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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185. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the estimated cost to the State of making all public transport free for persons aged under 18, under 25 and under 30 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26967/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) 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 2022, the NTA commissioned a report with Ernst & Young Business Advisory Services which examined the impacts of free fares on public transport. That report concluded that to fund a fully free public transport system at the time, without accounting for the likely increased passenger demand, would have required an additional €540m in Exchequer funding per annum at a minimum, on top of the existing annual PSO subvention. Given the increase in costs in the intervening period, this figure increased to closer to c. €786m for 2024.

The report also found that any increase in public transport demand due to free fares would largely be achieved by reductions in walking (7%) and cycling (13%), resulting in just a 1% reduction in car travel.

My Department’s funding for public transport services is therefore focussed on existing fare initiatives and service improvements such as BusConnects in the five cities, expanding town services in the larger towns, and rolling out Connecting Ireland in rural Ireland. These improvements are delivering real benefits for citizens across the country.

I can assure the Deputy that this Government is committed to delivering an accessible, reliable and affordable public transport system for all our citizens, including children. Under the Programme for Government, our commitments include the roll-out of contactless payments, keeping fares affordable, and examining the further expansion of free public transport for children.

In light of the NTA's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.