Sir, – If ever proof was required to show that the two main Government parties are out of touch, the letter from Fine Gael Cllr John Kennedy is an excellent example (“Fare exchange”, Letters, September 19th).
He dismisses the proposed increases in public transport fares by citing a mere 30 cent extra per journey, ignoring that all commuter journeys require a return trip, so we can double the cost he cited to 60 cent per day.
For no other reason than that our Government has admitted we have a cost of living crisis, this is not acceptable. For many more reasons, it is utterly counterproductive. As “hard-pressed” motorists contemplate switching to public transport to avoid ever higher fuel costs, this will give them pause.
As if one were needed, a survey by the NTA found that every increase in bus or rail fares leads to a reduction in passengers, and where are these commuters to go?
RM Block
Back to cars on congested roads or, if they are brave, to bicycles or scooters on our incomplete and patchy cycle routes.
[ My train fare may go up by €606 and that doesn’t include the seatOpens in new window ]
The BusConnects project, which made tremendous improvements to some, but not all, routes during the previous government term, has all but halted, half-finished with no completion date in sight. I doubt whether the fare increases will be used to fund this project or relieve the pressures on public transport.
Of greatest concern to me is that our climate action plans are, like BusConnects, also being abandoned. These fare increases should not proceed, and the NTA should be supported with some portion of the significant funds available to keep fuel prices lower. – Yours, etc,
PAUL WALDRON,
Ballinteer,
Dublin 16.
