NTA Fare Determinations for 2017

[Underground]

There are going to be a lot of peed off Leixlip commuters. Leap card fares to city centre up by 47 cent from €2.46 to €2.93, a jump of over 19%

[James Howard]

They've been saying that about fare elasticity for the last couple of years. Essentially they know they can't get more money from the occasional traveller since they can take the bus, they can't get any money from the Free Travel, so they've basically been sticking it to the poor suffering commuter who has no choice.

My first pass 12 years ago was 2,400 euro. Next year it will be 4320 plus 220 parking. The average wage has essentially been flat over that period of time. The net cost after Taxsaver has almost exactly doubled. I can't remember the ongoing increases, but from memory a day return has gone up by not much more than 30 or 40% in the same time period.

A monthly for my station will now be 17.5 times the price of a day return. Since few people commute all five days from such a distance, essentially Irish Rail now get more money per journey from a season ticket holder than they do from a one-off day return. This is quite frankly ridiculous. In my case, I travel about 3.5 days a week on an annual so they get more money per journey from me than from a one-off day-tripper.

It's only the taxsaver that makes the whole thing worthwhile but that is nothing to do with Irish Rail.

[berneyarms]

Originally Posted by Underground

There are going to be a lot of peed off Leixlip commuters. Leap card fares to city centre up by 47 cent from €2.46 to €2.93, a jump of over 19%

Presumably most commuters are using period passes and won't be hit by it. It would be more the occasional traveller that will feel the hit.

To be fair - why should Leixlip commuters pay a lower fare than people doing a similar commute distance wise on other lines?

There were legacy issues and this determination finally resolves the remaining inconsistencies - again some people win, some people lose out of this but we do now have a fairer suburban fares matrix.

[grainne whale]

Originally Posted by berneyarms

Presumably most commuters are using period passes and won't be hit by it. It would be more the occasional traveller that will feel the hit.

To be fair - why should Leixlip commuters pay a lower fare than people doing a similar commute distance wise on other lines?

There were legacy issues and this determination finally resolves the remaining inconsistencies - again some people win, some people lose out of this but we do now have a fairer suburban fares matrix.

Cheaper for the occasional traveller to take the bus.

[berneyarms]

Originally Posted by grainne whale

Cheaper for the occasional traveller to take the bus.

And given that the bus is slower, that's probably fairer too.

While the fare increase is frustrating for anyone that has to pay it, it does make sense that the fares are all correctly based on the distance travelled.

Someone in IE clearly goofed many years ago in setting up the fares on the Maynooth line and Leixlip was put into the wrong fare zone for travel to/from the city centre, among many other station combinations.

[grainne whale]

Originally Posted by berneyarms

And given that the bus is slower, that's probably fairer too.

While the fare increase is frustrating for anyone that has to pay it, it does make sense that the fares are all correctly based on the distance travelled.

Someone in IE clearly goofed many years ago in setting up the fares on the Maynooth line and Leixlip was put into the wrong fare zone for travel to/from the city centre, among many other station combinations.

Nope, the bus is much quicker (66X) with bus lanes and far cheaper fares especially with Leap.

[berneyarms]

Originally Posted by grainne whale

Nope, the bus is much quicker (66X) with bus lanes and far cheaper fares especially with Leap.

What about during the rest of the day when most occasional travellers would be travelling?

The 66X is a very limited service only at peak hours and most users at those times would already have a period pass.

[grainne whale]

Originally Posted by berneyarms

What about during the rest of the day when most occasional travellers would be travelling?

The 66X is a very limited service only at peak hours and most users at those times would already have a period pass.

- It's still quicker - the train goes 'round the world for sport' before it gets into Conolly and even then it's a good bit away from the major shopping areas.

[Underground]

Originally Posted by berneyarms

While the fare increase is frustrating for anyone that has to pay it, it does make sense that the fares are all correctly based on the distance travelled.

I agree we should all pay the same for the same level of service. Quick electric trains every 10 mins. But the Maynooth line isn't DART, it's a realtively slow diesel service with trains only running hourly off peak.

Also, I'm confused why the NTA is moving Dublin Bus towards a single flat fare, and doing the opposite with IE fares. It's like the bus and train parts of the NTA aren't in the same office.

Anyway a 19.1% hike is still a 19.1% hike. Combined with an off-peak service that only runs once an hour, isn't any quicker than the bus, this won't encourage people to take the train.

[berneyarms]

Originally Posted by Underground

I agree we should all pay the same for the same level of service. Quick electric trains every 10 mins. But the Maynooth line isn't DART, it's a realtively slow diesel service with trains only running hourly off peak.

Also, I'm confused why the NTA is moving Dublin Bus towards a single flat fare, and doing the opposite with IE fares. It's like the bus and train parts of the NTA aren't in the same office.

Anyway a 19.1% hike is still a 19.1% hike. Combined with an off-peak service that only runs once an hour, isn't any quicker than the bus, this won't encourage people to take the train.

Actually you are wrong - they are reducing the rail fare zones from six to five this year and reduced another one in recent years. They've also reduced the LUAS zones too.

If you compare the Maynooth line and Northern line, Leixlip customers were paying much less than people making a similar journey on the Northern line. That isn't fair.

However the switch should have been done more gradually than this, in the same way LUAS season tickets should have increased gradually rather than being frozen and then having a 10% hike.

[Underground]

Originally Posted by berneyarms

Actually you are wrong - they are reducing the rail fare zones from six to five this year

Yes, we're aware. Means Leixlip to Maynooth has also gone up by 17.7%!

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by Underground

Anyway a 19.1% hike is still a 19.1% hike.

Yes, it is a steep adjustment, but it highlights how much of a discount some people were getting and the premium that others were paying. Was it fare, eh, fair that others were paying way over the odds?

[Inniskeen]

Given the continual downgrading of service quality for longer distance commuters on the northern line, it might be time to extend the cheaper inner suburban rates to Drogheda and Dundalk to reflect slow journey times, overcrowding and the use of low amenity rolling stock.