Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 December 2022
133. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Transport the reason there has been a 20% reduction in fares for Bus Éireann, but not for private bus companies given that private bus operators often provide services where there is no Bus Éireann service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60170/22]
View answerAs 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.
The 20% fare-reduction initiative was introduced as part of a suite of Government measures to help combat the rising cost of living. The fare reduction was rolled out to all Public Service Obligation (PSO) services outside the Greater Dublin Area from 11 April and nationwide from 9 May. These discounted fares will benefit the hundreds of thousands of people across the country who use PSO public transport every day in 2022. Funding has been provided under Budget 2023 to continue the 20% reduction on PSO services in 2023; however, the funding allocation does not include an extension of the scheme to commercial operators.
Unlike with PSO services, the National Transport Authority (NTA) do not set, monitor or regulate fares on services run by commercial operator, which are set by the individual operators.
While it is not currently intended to include the commercial operators as part of the 20% average fare initiative, it should be noted that the Young Adult Card, which was introduced on PSO services earlier this year, was extended to participating commercial bus operators on the 4th of September.
