New commuter fares will be 'amazing' for Kildare students says campaigner

Commuters in Newbridge and Kildare town have given a cautious welcome to the swathe of fare reductions up to 45 per cent announced for introduction on 28 April after a three-year campaign.

“It bothered me to my bones as a student in Dublin in 2002 travelling up and back and paying fortune,” said one of the campaigners Newbridge woman Jennifer Caffrey.

“Up until now the actual cost of an adult return Newbridge to Dublin was €20.50, and a bus to the city centre was an add-on,” she explained.

“The new pricing will allow Newbridge to Dublin return for €16.90, although it’s not yet fully integrated with other public transport yet,” she said.

“The new single fair from Newbridge to Heuston will be €8.45 only, with a €2 add-on for the city centre if bought on a LEAP card – not cash,” she warned.

“Separately, there are new fares for daily, weekly and monthly commutes, and people aren’t happy.

“It is a difficult number of products to release in such a short timespan, but all point-to-point ticketing is being removed in favour now of a zonal ticket.

“In just Zones 1,2, and 3, I could travel to Drogheda or Greystones.

“This is amazing for students, and will be multi-modal – train, Luas, bus.

“Some people are annoyed because they still have point-to-point (tickets) but this is a huge opportunity for people in Newbridge, because they haven’t had this flexibility before.

“There has been some criticism of the NTA (National Transport Authority), and I shouldn’t be doing their job for such a huge change by 28 April, but they still don’t have a website or even an FAQ, however, Irish Rail has been very proactive.

“The next ask is the orbital buses for Newbridge and Kildare town — that they are rolled out soon and included in the weekly and monthly products.

“This is a specific ask as currently it only covers ‘commuter rail and bus’.

“Imagine bus routes round Newbridge in loops all day long where you can hop on every 20 minutes.

“What freedom that would give people who don’t have the luxury of a car, and the freedom for those with cars to leave them at home for some of their trips,” said Ms Caffrey.

Local politicians Chris Pender and Martin Heydon have been both bullish in their praise of the step-up.

“This is a significant step forward for fairer public transport fares in our communities,” said cllr Pender.

“For too long, commuters in Newbridge and Kildare Town have faced unfair discrepancies in ticket pricing compared to areas much closer to Dublin.

“The introduction of the Dublin Commuter Zone and Leap Card integration will provide much-needed financial relief and flexibility for daily commuters.” 

Cllr Pender paid tribute to the ‘Extend the Short Hop Zone’ campaign, spearheaded by Jennifer Caffrey and the Newbridge Community Development team, whose tireless efforts played a crucial role in securing this change.

“Their persistent campaigning, engagement with local representatives, and advocacy for fairer fares were instrumental in making this expansion a reality."

While the Dublin Commuter Zone and Leap Card expansion will go live in April, the TaxSaver ticketing changes will not take effect until 1 June.

Speaking on the matter, Minister Martin Heydon said: “Commuters from Newbridge, and other parts of South Kildare including Kildare town, have been fighting for years to be included in the current short hop zone."

“Following this long battle, we were all delighted in April 2023 when the NTA confirmed the introduction of a new Dublin Commuter Zone which would replace the short hop zone and included Newbridge and Kildare town."

The new fares are: Zone 1, €96 price per month (pcm) and €960 per annum (pa); Zone 2, €140 pcm and €1,400 pa; Zone 3, €196 pcm and €1,960 pa; Zone 4, €235.20 pcm and €2,352 pa.