Fare price drop boost for Meath rail commuters... but bus users will have to wait a little longer
Bus commuters in Meath are stil waiting on a reduction in fares following the introduction of the new Dublin Commuter Zone which came into effect last week.
A major reduction in and train fares for Meath rail commuters came into play last Monday morning with fares being slashed by up to 50 per cent for some rail users however Bus Eireann passengers will have to wait until the end of May for the new pricing changes to kick in.
Transport for Ireland announced last year that the Leap Card area would be expanded to span a 50km radius starting today from Dublin city centre to include towns such as Navan, Trim, Enfield, Laytown, Ashbourne and Drogheda.
The newly-created Dublin Commuter Zone now encompasses the likes of Drogheda, Co Louth, Enfield, Kildare Town and Rathdrum, Co Wicklow.
Until now, Dublin passengers with short train journeys have been able to pay using their Leap Card but those from towns further away in the commuter belt have needed to purchase a ticket.
For example, a single cash fare for an adult travelling from Drogheda to Connolly Station in Dublin previously cost €11.95.
Now, the cost of that journey has almost halved to €6, provided the person is using a Leap Card to pay their fare.
Passengers travelling between Enfield and Connolly Station will also benefit from the same fare reduction.
Bus users in Ashbourne and Ratoath will now be included in the Dublin City Zone from the end of next month with fares to the city centre reducing from €3.40 to just €2.40 on Leap.
As part of the Dublin Commuter Zone, bus users in Dunshaughlin will see a reduction in their ticket price to the city centre from €4.06 to €3.70, and in Trim the fare will be reduced massively from €7.35 to just €5.30, a 28 per cent saving.
Asked why there was a month delay in introducing the new fare structure for bus passengers and when would they be actioned, a brief NTA statement said: "Those changes to fares on Bus Eireann services will take effect by the end of next month."
Passengers who do not have a Leap Card and prefer to pay for their fare in cash via a ticket machine or online will also benefit from the fare reductions but to a lesser extent.
Most of the new fares will result in significant savings for local commuters but not everyone is a winner under the new system, which divides the Dublin Commuter Zone into four zones according to Labour TD for Louth Ged Nash who said there were still “inequities and anomalies” in the new system that will see Laytown commuters paying more for their monthly taxsaver tickets that will increase by €6 from €190 to €196.
“Drogheda and Laytown have been placed in Zone 3 and while that has brought the monthly taxsaver tickets for Drogheda commuters down from €211 to €196, Laytown commuters using this specific kind of ticket will actually find themselves paying more," said Nash.
“I’m not convinced there needs to be four zones for these fares. It seems crazy to me that commuters in Laytown in Zone 3 will pay €196 for their ticket while their near neighbours in Gormanston which lies in Zone 2, will only pay €140.
“Clearly, with any radical shake-up of fares, there will be anomalies but it is important to highlight them and have them addressed so that these much-vaunted new fares, are fairly applied, across the board.”