Sinn Féin spokesperson on Transport & Communications Martin Kenny TD has expressed his frustration at the delay in introducing the new fare model within the Dublin Commuter Zone.  His remarks came following a discussion with NTA chiefs at today’s Transport Committee.

Speaking today, Teachta Kenny said:

“There was an amount of fanfare around the introduction of new fares a number of weeks ago.  While there was a mix of fares being increased and decreased, commuters in the Dublin Commuter Zone will be waiting a while longer to see their fare changes.

“Due to an IT issue affecting the system, new reduced fares in some parts of Dublin will not come into effect until at least 2025 – yet they were due this year and announced weeks ago.

“For those who would see a reduction in their fares, that would have acted as a small ease on the pressures of the continuing cost of living crisis. 

“Unfortunately, they will now be without that until both the NTA and the Department of Transport find a remedy to this issue. 

“On a wider note, this underpins the ‘cart before the horse’ attitude of this government – announce it now, enforce it later.  Despite knowing they would not be delivering reduced fares to people across the Dublin Commuter Zone until at least 2025, they insisted on pushing the announcement.

“We need the Ministers department and NTA officials to prioritise this issue if we are to have any hope of the IT glitch being corrected and new fares enforced before the end of 2024.”