Deputy Noel Grealish has called on the Government to extend the recently announced 20 per cent reduction in bus fares to include City Direct, which operates services from Knocknacarra in the city.
“Since the recent 20 per cent cut in Bus Éireann fares, the difference in journey cost between the two companies is as much as 63 per cent,” the Independent Galway West TD said this week. “That is very unfair on all the people who live in areas serviced by City Direct but not by Bus Éireann — you are talking about huge tracts of the biggest suburb in the city.
“For thousands of people living in housing estates off the Cappagh Road, much of the Western Distributor Road, and the Clybaun Road, City Direct is their only option if they want to avail of public transport to get to the city centre or to college and to schools in the city.
“But because the reduction in fares has not been extended to private companies like City Direct, these people are not being offered the same incentive to leave their cars behind and use public transport,” he added. “As it stands, there is a difference of 80 cent in the adult single fare between Bus Éireann, which now charges €1.90, and City Direct, where the fare is €2.70 — a difference of 42 per cent.
“There’s an even bigger gap of 63 per cent for commuters using a Leap card, where the fares are €1.35 and €2.20 respectively, a difference of 85 cent. And this week’s 50 per cent reduction in fares for young adults aged 19 to 23 will further widen the gap there.
“Not only is this very unfair on the people living in areas not serviced by Bus Éireann, it flies in the face of this Government’s policy of encouraging greater use of public transport.
“And we have already seen evidence of the success of the fares reduction last month, with the National Transport Authority saying that Bus Éireann passenger journeys had increased by almost 10 per cent, with the passenger numbers in Galway now ahead of pre-Covid levels.”
Deputy Grealish said he had tabled a Dáil question to the Minister for Transport, asking for the reduction in fares to be extended to the City Direct company and to companies offering a similar service in other areas.
“The Minister, Eamonn Ryan, as leader of the Green Party and also as Minister for the Environment, must surely see the merit of this action, which would ultimately reduce the number of cars on the road,” he added.
