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Public Transport

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 May 2022

Tuesday, 17 May 2022

Ceisteanna (236, 237, 238, 240)

Darren O'Rourke

Ceist:

236. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the estimated full-year cost of the 20% reduction in public transport fares; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24539/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Darren O'Rourke

Ceist:

237. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the estimated full-year cost of the youth travel card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24540/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Darren O'Rourke

Ceist:

238. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the estimated percentage increase in demand on public transport due to the 20% decrease in fares and the youth travel card in advance of introducing these policies; if so, the estimated percentage increase in demand; if he will make this modelling available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24541/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Brendan Howlin

Ceist:

240. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Transport his views on the fact that the fare cuts announced by the Government to public transport do not apply to the majority of persons from County Wexford who use buses to Dublin or Waterford operated by Wexford Bus or Bus Éireann Expressway; the plans he has to address this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24700/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 236 to 238, inclusive, and 240 together.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport, nor decisions on fares. It is the National Transport Authority (NTA) that has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services, provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts.

In view of the importance of incentivising young people to use public transport, as part of Budget 2022 I secured €25m of funding to provide for the introduction of a young adult card (YAC) which will allow any person nationwide who is between 19 and 23 years old, to avail of an entitlement for discounted travel costs, and to increase the level of discount over and above the current student discount to an average of discount of 50% across all services, including city, intercity and rural services.

The YAC was launched on PSO services on the 9th of May, with over 1000 applications received by the NTA on launch day alone. The initiative will be broadened to include commercial operators later this year, with the aim to have it in place before the recommencement of third level colleges. This will not only promote modal shift in the transport sector among this age group but should also contribute towards a reduced reliance on private transport with associated benefit of transport emission savings.

The time lag is due to the fact that it is technically more challenging to roll-out fare initiatives, such as the YAC, on the commercial bus network than it is on the LEAP enabled PSO network. An array of various ticketing equipment is in use on fleet used by the commercial operators and needs to be catered for. To expedite the process, the NTA has established a joint working group with commercial bus operators to consider options and develop a plan to implement the Young Adult Card in as timely a manner as possible.

As the Deputies will be aware a 20% average reduction is being introduced on PSO services as part of a suite of Government measures to help combat the rising cost of living. This fare reduction was applied to all services outside the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) from the 11th of April and nationwide from the 9th of May. The fare reduction will be in place until the end of the year and €54m in Exchequer funding has been secured to allow for the introduction of these discounted fares, this is in addition to the REV22 allocations.

The Government decision did not include broadening this initiative to include commercial bus operators. Unlike with PSO services, the NTA does not set, monitor or regulate fares on services run by commercial operators; the operators themselves set fares on their services based on their own commercial judgement.

Licensed bus and coach operators are an integral part of the overall public transport system, particularly in areas around the country which are not covered by existing public service bus and rail services. In recognition of the important role these operators play, the Government has continued to provide temporary financial supports throughout the Covid-19 pandemic for certain licensed commercial services, with a view to protecting capacity across the public transport sector throughout the crisis. In acknowledgment of the continuing difficulties facing this sector, these supports for the commercial sector were recently extended up to the 30th of June 2022. To date over €60m has been provided to support the Commercial Bus Operators during this challenging time.

In relation to the estimated percentage increase in demand on public transport services due to the 20% decrease in fares and the youth travel card in advance of introducing these policies along with the modelling used, this would also be a matter for the NTA.

In view of the above, I have forwarded the Deputies specific questions to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

Question No. 237 answered with Question No. 236.
Question No. 238 answered with Question No. 236.
Question No. 239 answered with Question No. 224.
Question No. 240 answered with Question No. 236.
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