Transport transformation demands capital investment, not higher fares
Volt Ireland stands in full solidarity with Dublin Commuters and transport advocates nationwide. We call on all TDs to reject these fare increases and demand a transport strategy built for the future.
Raising public transport costs during an ongoing cost-of-living crisis fails citizens and defies good sense. When fares are lower, people can move around more easily, reducing reliance on cars. By pushing through fare increases, the Government sends a clear, damaging message to every non-driver in the country.
The Taoiseach has said transport fares have to rise in order for services to be expanded. Mr Taoiseach, there are better and fairer ways to fund improvements in a public service that has been lacking for decades. Squeezing everyday commuters to cover costs only drives people back into private cars.
Making users pay more for a transport service that has only deteriorated over the past 10 years, with ever-increasing delays. Meanwhile, the government has subsidised petrol and diesel. This gives the impression that this government rewards polluting car drivers while penalising commuters who use public transport. Furthermore, this increase is only a prelude to more fare hikes: as the NTA stated, it will reevaluate fares every year from now on.
Ireland needs more than expanded services. It needs real transport transformation, which requires serious capital investment and less short-term thinking. We need to adapt our cities to the 21st century by adapting infrastructure to current challenges. Transformation means investing in electric public transport, cycling infrastructure in every town and city, and a national EV charging network. Across Europe, modern transport systems are built on long-term infrastructure funding.
Volt Ireland advocates for a National Infrastructure Bank that can leverage EU investment funds, green bonds, and public investment to accelerate projects that serve the public interest. We support shifting the financial burden away from daily users through targeted measures like congestion charging to fund public transport improvements and reduce air pollution.
Public transport is an essential public utility. When you fund it with citizen bailouts, you punish the people who keep our cities running.
👉 Read the joint Commuter Coalition release
👉 Contact your local TD, get the email template
👉 Join Volt Ireland and help make the change