Ireland hits record public transport use with over a million passengers a day
The department says it is down to new BusConnects routes, a 24-hour Shannon Airport service, quicker bus services in Dublin, additional rail services and a 20 percent cut in fares, which the government has maintained.
Ireland has reached record numbers of public transport users with over one million passengers a day. Transport Minister, Eamon Ryan, announced the milestone saying "I'm here to give a million thanks to the Irish people".
"For the first time ever, every day we've a million people buying a ticket. We went over 300 million passengers a year for the first time every last year - we're going to shatter that record this year.
"We wanted to mark what's happening in Ireland - a radical increase in public transport numbers thanks to investment and giving it priority on our streets."
According to Department for Transport statistics, the number of public transport users has risen 12 percent compared to the same time last year. Operators including Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann, Go-Ahead Ireland and Luas are seeing highest ever passenger numbers with a combined 1,070,901 passengers a day from September 23-29, compared to 939,335 for the same week in 2023.
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The department says it is down to new BusConnects routes, a 24-hour Shannon Airport service, quicker bus services in Dublin, additional rail services and a 20 percent cut in fares, which the government has maintained.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan added: "Public transport is going from strength to strength. It’s amazing to be here celebrating that we are now up to one million passenger journeys a day.
"Behind every one of these journeys are the people who make the trips happen, the drivers, the mechanics, the logistics people who ensure that our public transport is operating every day in our urban centres, and across rural Ireland where there has been an enormous change happening.
"And of course, it’s because of the passengers who are choosing to take the train, the bus or the light rail to get to where they want to go. To everyone who steps on board at any time, I want to say thanks a million. Your journey really counts."
NTA CEO Anne Graham added: "Reaching this milestone is a remarkable achievement for everybody involved in providing public transport, but particularly those front-line workers and support workers who interact and engage with our customers a million times a day.
"I’d like to thank them for the work they put in, day-in day-out, around the clock, in all sorts of conditions."
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