Anger at price hike for Navan and Athboy commuters

Commuters in Navan and Athboy have expressed shock at a hike in bus fares which takes effect from next Monday, despite price cuts across the south of the county.

The increases have been described as "unfair" and “a slap in the face” for commuters.

From June 16th, fares on commuter services provided by both Bus Éireann and Go-Ahead Ireland are to change with some decreasing, some increasing, and some largely unchanged.

There will be an increase on the single Leap fare from Navan to Dublin from €5.60 to €6.30 and from €7.70 to €8.10 for Athboy. However, customers in those areas who are still paying cash for their journey can make a saving by switching to Leap.

The single Leap fare from Ashbourne to Dublin is to decrease from €3.36 to €2.40 and the fare from Ratoath drops from €3.64 to €2.40. The fare from Dunshaughlin is to fall from €4.06 to €3.70. Customers from Trim will see their fare reduce from €7.35 to €5.30.

Fares on services operating in Meath as part of the Dublin city bus network to places such as Clonee and Dunboyne will not change. This includes the 70 and the 270.

The Mayor of Navan, Cllr Eddie Fennessy said it seemed Bus Eireann would be recouping the reduced fares in the south east of the uncoty by the increases for Navan and Athboy commuters.

"It is not fair on commuters in those towns. Navan is part of the NX route which run every 15 minutes and is usually packed."

Deputy Peadar Tóibín said the price hike was "deeply unfair and out of touch with the reality of life for commuters in Navan”.

“People are being punished for relying on public transport to get to work, school or hospital appointments in Dublin.”

Cllr Nick Killian welcomed the reduction in fares from Ratoath to Dublin. "Ratoath and Ashbourne are strong commuter areas and any reduction is very welcome," he said.

According to the National Transport Authority (NTA), fares are to be determined on a more equitable and easy-to-understand basis. "The cost per kilometre travelled is now more consistent, and fares are more closely related to the straight-line distance between the origin and destination of journey.

"Fares are now calculated on the basis of four new zonal fares. Under the previous system, operators such as Bus Éireann and Iarnrod Éireann had their own fare zones that did not align with each other. The new system consolidates these into a single structure and is therefore fairer and more consistent."

Under the new system, Zone 1 includes areas within a 23km radius of central Dublin, Zone 2 covers areas including Gormanston, Skerries, Kilcock, Sallins, Naas, Greystones. and Kilcoole, Zone 3 covers areas including Drogheda, Enfield, Newbridge and Wicklow Town and Zone 4 covers areas including as Kildare Town and Rathdrum.

The new fare structure includes revisions to single journey fares and in all cases, payment by Leap Card offers the best available value compared to cash.

For the first time, these Leap products cover travel on town bus services in Navan, Balbriggan and Drogheda.

New daily, weekly and monthly Leap products based on zone, are also being rolled out. These cover journeys from the zones into the centre of Dublin but also include journeys within the central zone on all TFI rail, Luas and Dublin city bus services.