Transport Costs
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-18
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Jerry Buttimer (FG), Cork South-Central

Safeguarding long-term financial sustainability while being responsive to passenger needs remains a central commitment under the programme for Government. Achieving this requires a careful balance between delivering high-quality reliable services and ensuring that the network is adequately resourced to meet growing demand. Passenger numbers have continued to rise in recent years, with a record-breaking 363.5 million journeys undertaken just last year.
As the statutory body responsible for regulating fares across services operated under PSO contracts, the NTA is central to shaping a public transport system that is fair, efficient and accessible. Through its management of fare strategies, it helps to ensure that pricing structures support social inclusion and the modal shift while also underpinning the financial viability and resilience of the network.
Public transport fares in Ireland remain comparatively low due to a range of targeted measures introduced in recent years. For context, Ireland's farebox recovery average stands at 38% when compared to a 44% European average. Including the young adult card, the 90-minute fare and free travel for children under nine years of age, such targeted initiatives have significantly improved affordability and accessibility. They also increase reliance on subsidy, making fare revenue a critical component of maintaining a financially sustainable PSO model.
In line with international best practice, prioritising the reinvestment of the fare revenue is essential to support service improvements, expansion and system resilience. Maintaining a stable funding base is, therefore, critical to sustaining service levels and ensuring public transport continues to meet passenger needs over the long term.
Regarding budget 2027, the PSO funding allocation will be subject to the annual budgetary and Estimates process. As is standard in all budgetary deliberations between Departments and State agencies, a comprehensive assessment of all service provision costs and requirements will be undertaken, with a strong focus on ensuring value, fairness and accessibility for all passengers.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-18