Public Transport Fare Increases

Mousewar

As most will already know, Luas, Bus, and Dart fares are increasing by up to 10% in November. I took this from the Independent (Sept 25th).

"The power to set and award fare increases has been handed over to the NTA. The authority said the fare increases were sanctioned in response to falling passenger numbers, soaring fuel costs and cuts in government subventions."

Falling passenger numbers?! What other industry in the world looks at falling customer numbers and decides to actually increase its prices? Who could possibly be so stupid as to look at their balance sheet, see that the figures aren't as healthy as they used to be because less people are using their service, and decide that charging the remainder of their customers more will actually cover the difference? Nobody does this. If a business is losing customers it lowers its prices to tempt them back. The Public transport system in this country, most likely because it is a monopoly, obviously operates on another plane of reality.

Nearly every other country I travel to operates an efficient transport system for significantly less money. It might be ten years ago but I still remember paying one dollar to board the Boston subway system. One dollar to get into this system which is fast and reliable and took you wherever you needed regardless of how many different trains it took. Apparently it's now costs 2 dollars. After the fare increase here it will cost me €2.90 to take a bus into the city centre which is about $3.70.

I always used to use public transport to get to college and then work. It never occurred to me take the car. Then one summer, when the roads were quiet I used it. I said I'd stop when it took me longer to get in than it would by bus. Three years later and that's never happened. I'm no longer crammed onto a packed bus, dart, or luas, that stops every 50 metres along the road. I no longer have to wait at bus stops in the rain and watch full buses go by without stopping. I no longer have to sit on a stalled Dart that has inexplicably stopped running without any kind of information being communicated to the passengers.

Rising petrol costs might be a concern but Dublin Bus and the others aren't going to tempt people like me back by increasing their own prices, especially for such an awful service. Seriously, who do they let run these places?

LXFlyer

Only the prepaid tickets are going up in November.

Cash fares will likely go up in January.

The reality is that government policy is to shift more of the burden from themselves onto the customer, thus subventions are being cut drastically.

Most other countries have far greater subsidisation of fares, and retain some form of fuel rebate meaning fares are less.

Mousewar

Ah okay - January for the cash fares.

Infini

Fuel and Energy prices go up, passenger numbers and subventions go down and while its daft it ultimately end up pushing up ticket prices because theres nothing else that can be done bar massive cutbacks on any non essential/off peak service.

Mousewar

Would it not be an idea to actually reduce prices in an effort to drive up numbers? I'd certainly use it more if it wasn't so bloody expensive.

goldenhoarde

Mousewar wrote: »

Would it not be an idea to actually reduce prices in an effort to drive up numbers? I'd certainly use it more if it wasn't so bloody expensive.

:D unfortunately you live in the real world where ideas like that have merit ...........

Cistolik

If only there was no Monopoly and competition on bus routes....alas....it almost happened.....until Dublin bus wiped out other small competitors...I now Boycott Dublin Bus, not just for that reason but also because of their unreliability, driver behavior and punctuality (or not of). Like you turned to your car, I turned to my bike. Instead of spending 55 mins on the number 9 every morning going to college, I spend 16 mins exact on the bike. Win

The_Wrecker

Another no brainer.

Bus stops full every morning, spare drivers available in the depot and a selection of end of service RV buses (13yr old) in Broadstone parked up doing nothing.

All those €2.65's that end up in taxis.