Commuters returning to work in Dublin after the Christmas break this morning will have to pay more for their bus, DART or train journey.
The majority of bus fares rose by five cent yesterday and Iarnród Éireann has increased its fares by an average of 3.2 per cent.
The shortest Dublin Bus journey will now cost 85 cent while the most expensive journey to or from the outer suburbs is now €4.05. The school child fare has increased to 45 cent. The shortest journey on the Xpresso service now costs €1.75 while the longest journey costs €4.05.
The only Dublin Bus services not affected by the price rise are the Nitelink service and the Airlink service. The cost of pre-paid fares such as weekly and monthly tickets has not been increased, but they will be brought in line with the cash fares in the coming months.
The 3.2 per cent increase in Iarnród Éireann fares affects single, return and seven-day prepaid tickets on DART and suburban trains.
It also affects the single and monthly return tickets on intercity services.
Special promotional and discounted fares are not affected yet but these will be reviewed, according to the company.
An Iarnród Éireann spokesman defended the price rises, saying the company was "faced with increasing inflation whilst undertaking the largest ever Irish railway investment programme. Fuel and insurance costs alone have increased dramatically in recent years".
According to Iarnród Éireann, oil and electricity costs have risen by 72 per cent between 2000 and 2002. "Insurance costs will have risen by more than 300 per cent in three years from €1.158 million in 2000 to a forecast €4.431 million in 2003.
"Labour costs have also increased as the company has paid a series of partnership agreements."
Meanwhile, Labour councillor, Mr Kevin Humphreys, has called for performance measurements to be related to any further increase in Dublin Bus fares.
He said the fares had risen by five cent, yet the travelling public saw no improved service apart from the quality bus corridors.
"The only work of fiction I read over the Christmas was the no 2 and 3 bus timetable," he said. "Dublin citizens are entitled to a quality public transport system in the city and the management in Dublin Bus has failed to deliver this."
