New national fares strategy to see lower ticket prices for commuters

A NEW national fare strategy announced last week will see lower fares for commuters in Meath and surrounding areas.

The National Transport Authority published its National Fares Strategy which includes a new commuter zone taking in areas such as Navan, Trim, Enfield and Summerhill.

The new national fares structure has been designed, the NTA says, to ensure that the cost per kilometre travelled is “consistent across the country”, which it further states is not currently the case.

The NTA states that the new strategy will deliver both “political and commercial aspirations around better value, greater transparency and equality in respect of journey distance”.

Fine Gael Councillor for Laytown/Bettystown, Sharon Tolan said the move will result in great reductions in ticket pricing for everyone using public transport outside of Dublin City. She added:

“I am absolutely delighted with this news. I am pleased that the NTA chose to use my suggestion of creating a new Outer Dublin Commuter Zone. At the end of the day the Short Hop Zone simply wasn’t reflective of the City and Greater Dublin Commuter Area that exists in reality.

"Two new zones will now be created, Dublin City Zone which will extend approximately 23km from the city in all directions, and the Outer Dublin Commuter Zone extending to approximately 50km from Dublin City centre which will include towns such as Drogheda, Navan, Trim, Enfield, Clane, Prosperous, Newbridge, Kildare, Greystones and Wicklow.

"It is a campaign that I fought long and hard but I am delighted with the result."

Ticket pricing details and the timelines of delivery of the new Next Generation Ticketing equipment have yet to be announced but the NTA have confirmed that implementing the revised fare structure in the Outer Dublin Commuter Zone (East Meath & Louth) will be their priority according to Tolan.

Senator Shane Cassells also welcomed the news.

“As a representative of Meath West, I’m well aware of the many people in his local area who commute into Dublin for work. The introduction of the Dublin Commuter Zone is a step in the right direction and should result in a fairer and more efficient fare system that would benefit all commuters,” said Senator Cassells.

No new fares have been announced however a new Dublin Commuter Zone will be put in place by the NTA and will remove the inequities within the current system.

Senator Cassells said: "The Short Hop Zone was a poorly designed system that was long overdue for an overhaul. The new Dublin Commuter Zone will make a huge difference for commuters in Meath West, and indeed for anyone who relies on public transportation in the greater Dublin area. I look forward to more details being announced and I will work with the NTA to ensure the fairest structure for commuters."

Fine Gael Cllr for Trim Joe Fox said:

"This is something I have been calling for sometime and I have made numerous submissions on it I'm delighted it's finally happening."