'Stay On Track': Greens say that improving passenger experience must be at the centre of public transport investment

First Green Party Dáil motion of 2025 challenges the Government to focus on continuously improving the experience that commuters have on public transport, to continue the steps taken by the last Government to cut fares, and commit to a major increase in capital investment between now and 2030.

Speaking launching the Green Party’s Stay On Track public transport motion at Leinster House today, party leader Roderic O’Gorman TD said: “We’ve now surpassed 1 million daily passenger journeys being made on Irish public transport, and that’s down to the investment and the priority made by the last Government in services across all modes. 

“But commuters need a clear sign from our Government - that this major capital investment will continue, and that real efforts will be made to make the experience better for every passenger, on every journey.

“Everyone knows that big public transport promises mean absolutely nothing unless the money is put behind them. We got that investment in the last government - and we’re seeing the positive result of that today. But this was just the start, there’s so much more we need to get right if we’re to have a public transport system that passengers look forward to using, and can compare with what’s taken for granted on the continent.” 

Green Party Transport Spokesperson, Cllr Feljin Jose added: “Unless we make the passenger’s experience better, we won’t get people to trust their transport service - with functioning real time info, up-to-date contactless ticketing, zero tolerance for anti-social behaviour and real improvements to accessibility for passengers with a disability. 

“Passengers must never feel abandoned by the service they trust, and so our motion recommends the creation of a new Passenger Experience Office with the remit and resources needed to make those improvements across every transport mode.”

Green Party Senator Malcolm Noonan said that, without continued investment, major improvements seen over the past five years would be in jeopardy: “Connecting Ireland and Local Link have transformed how people move in this country - we’ve seen a five-fold increase in passenger journeys to 100,000 per week. It’s now mission-critical that Connecting Ireland is completed as planned and that we aim to go further, with an eventual  service for every village, every hour. That’s what our motion calls for and we would like to see that level of ambition adopted by the Government.”

TEXT OF MOTION

That Dáil Éireann:

acknowledges as hugely positive:

— the increase in public transport usage in recent years and, in particular, the fact that over 1 million public transport journeys are now taken each day;

— the reductions in all public transport fares that were introduced in April 2022;

— the additional reductions in public transport fares for young adults between 19 and 25 via the Young Adult and Student Card, which was introduced in 2022 and extended in 2024; and

— the roll out of additional Local Link services since 2022, which has seen a five fold increase in the number of people using these services, with 100,000 journeys taking place on Local Link services every week.

notes that:

— further reductions in fares, balanced with investment in capacity, will bring even more people onto public transport;

— a focus on continuous improvement in passengers' experience is now critical to further growth in public transport usage, in particular efforts to improve timetabling and eliminate ghost buses, ease of access for all, easier contactless ticketing, and real, accessible customer service when something goes wrong;

— transport remains one of the most urgent sectors of Ireland's carbon emissions to reduce;

— the All-Island Strategic Rail Review outlines economic, social and climate benefits for both Ireland and Northern Ireland;

— the Connecting Ireland rural bus programme has transformed public transport use in rural Ireland, connecting communities for the first time and delivering regular, frequent services; and

— people with disabilities or with a mobility impairment continue to face unacceptable obstacles to enjoying equality of access to public transport;

further notes:

— the Programme for Government 2025 - Securing Ireland's Future is completely lacking in measurable commitments in terms of the amount of additional funding envisaged, and timelines by which the public transport commitments in it will be achieved; and

— that public transport needs to be affordable, accessible, convenient, connected and safe, and that this will require sustained multi-annual investment from central Government to achieve; and

calls on the Government to commit to:

— a further reduction of 20 per cent in public transport costs for all, across the lifetime of this Government;

— establish a new Public Transport Passenger Experience Office, which will work to diagnose and deliver solutions on issues in the current provision of public transport and advocate for the rights and experience of passengers, this office will provide timely information to passengers, particularly where a service is delayed or cancelled, and which will enhance the accessibility of services for passengers with a disability;

— pass the legislation, and provide the necessary funding, to ensure that the Transport Security Force is established and operational by Quarter 4 of 2026;

— complete the rollout of the contactless fare payment system in 2026;

— a €10 billion increase in capital for public transport in the National Development Plan review;

— ensure the full implementation of the Connecting Ireland rural bus programme, expanding on current levels of services and working towards an "every village, every hour" bus service;

— achieve 150,000 journeys per week on Local Link services by Quarter 4 2026; and

— outline in the Revised National Development Plan those recommendations of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review that the Government plans to deliver by 2030.