Dublin Bus has insisted its ticket fares have not risen beyond a Government-sanctioned 9 per cent, despite increasing prices on some of its most popular routes by more than double that.
From next Monday, the schoolchild fare is rising by 25 per cent to 50c, and the adult 8-13 stage fare, currently priced at €1.30, by 23 per cent to €1.60.
An examination of 14 other fare categories, published by Dublin Bus, shows an average increase of 15 per cent - well above the approved level. A spokeswoman for the company said, however, that further categories were not listed in the advertisement, including integrated Irish Rail fares and pre-paid rambler tickets.
The average price increase of the latter would be less than 6 per cent, she said. Full details of pre-paid ticket fare increases have yet to be published.
Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann also insisted they had not exceeded the approved 9 per cent rise, even though some of their fares had almost doubled in price.
An adult return ticket on Bus Éireann's Dublin-Galway route has increased by 74 per cent to €27. On the Dublin-Donegal route it is up by 34 per cent to €29.50.
Bus Éireann's public relations manager, Mr Cyril McIntyre, said: "We have interpreted the 9 per cent figure as an average, and as with every average there will be pluses and minuses."
Iarnród Éireann appears to have applied a more even spread of increases. Its Dublin-Limerick and Dublin-Cork return fares have both risen by 9 per cent to €47 and €58 respectively.
Single fares are increasing to a greater extent to encourage the purchase of pre-paid and return tickets. For example, on a DART journey between Raheny and the city centre, the price of a single ticket is going up by 15 per cent to €1.50, and a return to €2.70.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport said it would be monitoring the increases to ensure they did not exceed 9 per cent. She noted the Department would not have been privy to the exact details of how the figure would be applied prior to approving it.
The rise was sanctioned after the Department and its Minister, Mr Brennan, considered an application for a 20 per cent increase from the three CIÉ companies.
Bus Éireann points out that its fares increased by just 10-15 per cent between 1991 and 2001, a period in which the Consumer Price Index rose by 30.4 per cent. It says this means the company's fares "are now cheaper in real terms than they were 10 years ago". The Dublin Bus spokeswoman said that, except for a 5p increase sanctioned in 2000, the company had to endure a 10-year price freeze.
Meanwhile, Dublin Bus has announced a new Nitelink Christmas promotion whereby tickets will cost just €2 between December 2nd and 13th. The late-night/early-morning service will run every night from next Monday until January 4th.
