Sinn Féin representative for Dublin South West Seán Crowe TD has welcomed proposals from the Department of Transport to introduce a reduced off-peak Dublin Bus fare and said that more needed to be done to encourage people to travel by public transport.

Deputy Crowe said:

“Public transport is vital to the life of the city and county and we must do all we can to encourage people to leave their cars at home and to opt for bus, LUAS or rail. Part of that overall strategy must be to make it more affordable, attractive, reliable and safer to use public transport and any fare decrease will be welcomed by the general public.

“Under this Government, public transport costs have soared. While the Leap card offered some savings on individual fares, this was in the context of regularly rising fares across the board. Even prepaid bus cards now offer little in the way of savings with a 30 day pass costing €137.50 and a 5 day pass costing €27.50.

“Lower off peak fares in the run up to the summer as well as special deals throughout the year are among the types of positive initiatives that could give a boost to Bus Ath Cliath. This would help increase consumer confidence in the affordability of public transport options but a lot more innovative iniatives need to be considered.

“Safety is a huge issue and confidence can be built with commutters by iniatives like the Tallaght Bus and LUAS community Forum. This group meets on monthly basis and includes representatives of the Garda Siochana, Community Representatives, Bus and LUAS Management, workers and Union Representatives and local politicians. This iniative came about over attacks on public transport and is seen as being highly successful at addressing this problem.

“For many the reality is that fares are seen as still too high and this must be tackled as traffic continues to worsen in Dublin.

“We need to row back on fare hikes and encourage more prepaid options such as Leap and Rambler passes with greater cost savings.

“As value for money in companies like Bus Ath Cliath increases, more people will inevitably opt for public transport as their chosen method of transport around Dublin City and County.”

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