Roads in towns in Louth 'chronically congested'
Louth Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú said that public transport fare hikes ‘cannot be allowed to go ahead’
The government must act to stop the proposed hikes to public transport fares in the middle of a cost of living crisis, Louth Sinn Féin TD, Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú has said.
The Dundalk TD was reacting to the news that the NTA announced fare increases across the state of 15% on average, with changes across the Transport for Ireland (TFI) network, including services operated by Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Irish Rail and TFI Local Link.
He said the increases, which he added, are five times the rate of inflation, were ‘unacceptable’ and called on the Minister for Transport to act to stop the price hikes coming into effect and provide the NTA with adequate funding to deliver and expand public transport services.
Deputy Ó Murchú said the prices hike on public transport were ‘baffling’ and a ‘blow’ to those who rely on services.
The Sinn Féin TD told the Dundalk Democrat that: “At a time when people are battling the cost-of-living crisis, these increases are unacceptable and cannot be allowed to go ahead.
“The Government is supposed to be incentivising the use of public transport. Making people pay more for services that are often overcrowded and unreliable does the opposite.
“What is the government thinking here? We had stark climate change warnings only last week, the roads in our towns in Louth are chronically congested, and households are pushed to breaking point with the cost-of-living crisis.”
Deputy Ó Murchú continued: “The Government says it wants to expand public transport services, yet it is starving the NTA of the funding it needs to deliver new services. The Government has no vision and ambition.
“If the Government genuinely wants to get people off the roads and onto public transport in order to meet our climate targets and improve congestion, it has to make public transport more reliable and more affordable.”
He added: “We cannot ask people to change how they travel while simultaneously making public transport more expensive and failing to deliver adequate services.
“The Minister must act to stop these price hikes and ensure that there is enough funding for the NTA to deliver a fit-for-purpose public transport system and expand new services.”