Transport Costs
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-18
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Louis O'Hara (SF), Galway East

I thank the Minister of State. The cost of fares is obviously a significant expense for people who rely on public transport. At a time when households right across the State are struggling with rising costs, rising rents and rising everything else, there is a need for the Government to be upfront with people as to whether commuters will face an increase in public transport fares. In the Minister of State's response, he has not given any clarity as to whether fares may increase.
I want to raise the taxsaver scheme because this is one area where commuters try to save money on their fares. While many people have the opportunity to participate in that scheme, it is only available to commuters who are employed at companies that are taking part in the scheme. It has been raised with me that this requirement means that a whole cohort of people are being excluded from the scheme. I understand that the Department of Finance has a role in that also. Has the Department of Transport given any consideration to extending this scheme to all employers to make everybody eligible to benefit from it?

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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