Speaking to Newstalk this afternoon Gerry Murphy, the chief executive officer of the National Transport Authority (NTA), claimed that the current hike in the price of public transport would be the final major increase in fares and that the NTA aims to get future increases in-line with the annual rate of inflation.
The below chart shows the gap that has existed between rises in transport costs and the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of the overall changes in the prices of goods and services in the country.
Between 2011 and September of 2014 changes in the CPI have run between 1.7 percent and 0.5 percent while public transport fares have increased dramatically.
The examples used in the graph are a single relatively short 8-13 stage journey on Dublin Bus and a longer DART journey (Bray to Pearse Station).
The bus journey has increased from €1.85 in 2011 to €2.80 in 2014 for those paying in cash. The Leap Card fare went from €1.95 in 2012 to €2.15 in 2013 while the latest change in prices will see that fare fall to €2.05, reflecting the NTA's push to encourage more travelers to pay with Leap Cards.
The DART journey has also seen drastic increases. Cash users who could make the trip for €2.85 in 2011 now pay €3.55. Leap Card users who paid €2.35 in 2011 now pay €2.80.
