I do not set public transport fares. It is the responsibility of the regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), to adjudicate on applications from the CIE companies and the Railway Procurement Agency for fare increases or changes to fares. I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
Through the NTA, my Department is funding the use of smart technology to make public transport easier to access and more reliable for the user. Significant progress has been made with the Leap card, Real Time Passenger Information, and the National Journey Planner which maps all public transport services across the country. It is important to point out that significant savings can be made by passengers who choose to avail of the integrated ticket, the Leap card. In many cases, passengers will be paying fares that are below 2011 cash fares when using the Leap card.
The use of Wi-Fi on trains and buses has also improved the transport experience. The NTA will continue to progress these consumer-friendly initiatives which make using public transport more attractive. The public transport experience has improved significantly and that is where we must target our efforts in future. I hope through avoidance of further reductions in subvention, a stabilisation of passenger numbers as the economy improves and cost-saving measures in Iarnród Éireann that future fare increases can be targeted at sustaining public transport that benefits commuters and our economy.
I have set as one of my Department's priorities for 2014 to work with NTA, CIE, Luas and other transport operators to increase the number of people using public transport by 2% i.e. 5 million passenger journeys. Minister of State Kelly and I will be meeting with senior management in all of the publicly funded transport companies and the NTA regularly to focus efforts to improve patronage on our buses, trams and trains. The first meeting took place on 12th February.
