Public transport fare increase the ‘wrong move’ – Mullingar SEC

As a community group working to support Mullingar’s transition to a more sustainable and resilient future, the Mullingar Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) is deeply concerned by the National Transport Authority’s (NTA) proposal to increase public transport fares by 15%.

Chairperson of the Mullingar SEC, Brian Browne, said that at a time when households across Westmeath are already under sustained financial pressure due to the cost of living crisis, this government proposal is ill-timed and fundamentally misguided.

According to the proposal, passengers across the country will face higher costs on buses and trains from January 2027, and the increases are around 15% on most services. Town fares will increase by 10% for adults with Leap Cards to €1.65. Intercity rail express fares will increase by 10% and economy fares will increase by up to 20%. Intercity rail open return tickets will be discontinued.

Mr Browne said public transport is a necessity, particularly in a town like Mullingar. Many people commute to Dublin on the train and the bus, and the town has seen lots of welcome improvements in recent years, including the introduction of the MU1 and MU2 local bus services.

Passenger numbers on the new services are growing steadily, connecting people to work, school, shops and social activities. There are also increased on the popular Local Link Services to Athlone, Longford Town and Castlepollard.

That is exactly the trend policymakers should be encouraging, said Mr Browne. Growing usage of public transport is aligned with every stated government goal around climate action, regional development and quality of life.

In a town like Mullingar, where many commuters already face long journeys to Dublin or Athlone, the cost of daily travel is a decisive factor. A 15% increase may seem modest on paper, but over a year it adds up significantly, particularly for workers, students and families who rely on public transport every day.

For some, it will be the tipping point that pushes them back to their cars or squeezes them even harder if they don’t have a car.

That shift means more traffic on the N4 and regional roads, more congestion in the centre of Mullingar, and more emissions, at a time when Ireland is already struggling to meet its climate targets.

As usage declines, it becomes increasingly difficult to make a case for further investment in regional public transport.

There is also the question of fairness. Public transport users are often those who have fewer alternatives, particularly young people and lower-income households. Increasing fares in the middle of a cost of living crisis effectively asks those who can least afford it to shoulder a greater burden, and that’s is unfair.

While revenue from fares only covers 38% of the cost of public transport in Ireland, we shouldn’t view funding for public transport as a cost, but as an investment in health, wellbeing, environment and the amenity value of town centres.

Those benefits are rarely valued and are evidently not taken into account in budgetary decisions such as this one.

The government really do miss seeing the bigger picture sometimes.

Mullingar SEC believes there is a better approach that recognises public transport as essential infrastructure in Mullingar and invests in its long-term affordability, that supports households rather than adding to their burden, and one that aligns clearly with Ireland’s climate and quality of life goals.

Mr Browne concluded: “If anything, the policy direction should be the opposite – lower fares, not higher – and we should be seeing more incentives not more barriers.

“We need investment that builds on the positive trends already emerging in towns like Mullingar where usage of the new town and Local Link services in particular are on the rise, because once people are priced off public transport, winning them back is far harder.”