Government needs to put up or shut up on public transport fare hikes
Government needs to put up or shut up on public transport fare hikes - The Labour Party
Speaking after the NTA’s appearance in the Oireachtas Transport Committee, Labour Spokesperson for Transport Ciarán Ahern has called on Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs to urge their party colleagues – the Government ministers making this decision – to provide the necessary investment to prevent the planned public transport fare hikes.
Workers using public transport to commute are facing an average increase of 15% on the cost of getting to and from work, with some being hit with increases as high as 33%.
Deputy Ahern said:
“It is incredibly frustrating listening to Government-supporting TDs and Senators crying crocodile tears over public transport fare hikes that are a direct result of funding decisions made by the government they are supporting. This Government explicitly – boastfully even – got rid of the previous 2-to-1 spending ratio on public transport vs roads and this is clearly a result of that decision. Government backbenchers who genuinely feel strongly should pull their support for Government if this decision isn’t reversed.
“This isn’t a matter of whether the money is there to invest or not. It’s a matter of political will. Government were able to find almost €1.2 billion to cut excise duty on petrol and diesel for people who drive to work just days before this decision. Commuters using public transport have every right to ask why they don’t deserve similar supports. People impacted by these fare hikes are far more likely to be at the sharper end of the cost-of-living crisis than those who can afford to drive to work, at least in areas where public transport is available.
“Demand for public transport services is at record levels precisely because of the initiatives that have been taken to reduce fares in recent years. We need to build on that success, but these fare hikes represent a step in the wrong direction. Ministers O’Brien and Chambers don’t seem to realise that there are significant opportunity costs in failing to cough up the necessary funding to keep fares low. It will lead to less people using public transport and more cars on our roads, contributing to even greater congestion than we’re already seeing in our cities and commuter roads, and pushing up our carbon emissions.
“It’s not good enough for backbenchers from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Government Independents to use the NTA as a scapegoat for their own colleagues’ failures. The NTA doesn’t dictate the amount of funding they receive from Government. My Labour Party colleagues and I will continue putting pressure on the Ministers to provide the necessary funding to the NTA to prevent these fare hikes, and I sincerely hope that Government backbenchers will join us in our efforts.”