Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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245. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to outline the Taxsaver increases for Kildare commuters following the introduction of the Dublin commuter zone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33590/25]

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 responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts.

In April 2023, the NTA published a new National Fares Strategy, aiming to deliver a more consistent, equitable, and transparent fare structure for all passengers. Following this, the NTA commenced a phased rollout of revised fare zones and structures. Phase 1 of this Fares Determination was implemented in June 2024, focusing on fare changes for towns and shorter journeys within Dublin.

As the Deputy may be aware, the second part of this Determination is being implemented in two phases: Phase 2A (commenced from Monday, 28 April 2025) introduced new multi-modal fare caps in Dublin and revised commuter rail fares; and Phase 2B (commenced from Monday, 16 June 2025) for revised commuter bus fares.

The new system aligns fares with distance, meaning some fares increase while others decrease, but the structure is now equitable and easier to understand.

Some stations outside the new City Zone (e.g. Greystones, Skerries, Sallins & Naas) see increases as they are now priced according to the actual distance travelled.

To mitigate the impact of the fares changes for Stations in Zone 2 which were previously within the Short Hop Zone (including Skerries and Balbriggan), the weekly Leap tickets will be charged at €32 (Adult) and €16 (Young Adult / Child) for or an interim period.

However, many outer towns see major cuts (e.g. Drogheda to Dublin -50%; Kildare to Dublin -37%)

It is the NTA’s intention to roll out further changes in future determinations during 2025, designed to deliver a fares approach that is easier for customers to understand.

Average fares on all PSO transport services per passenger in Ireland remains quite low in comparison to other countries. My Department supports these measures in line with the recent commitment in the Programme for Government to keeping fares low and affordable.

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.