The Labour Party will increase the Dublin Bus fleet by 50 per cent if elected, party spokesperson on transport Roisin Shortall said today.
Speaking at the unveiling of the party's transport policy document, Getting Dublin Moving: Labour's Proposals for Ending the Gridlock,Ms Shortall accused the Government of "deliberately starving" Dublin commuters of extra buses.
A bus pulls out of Donnybrook garage. Photograph: Cyril Byrne
"There has been no increase in the Dublin Bus fleet from 2001 to late 2005. One year into Transport 21, only 20 extra buses operate on our streets. We still have the problem of quality bus corridors (QBCs) without adequate bus services, and bus services without adequate QBCs," she said.
As well as increasing the fleet by 50 per cent, Labour claims it will complete QBCs, introduce a €1 trip fare for adults and 50 cents for children and will construct park-and-ride facilities on the outskirts of Dublin with express bus services into the capital.
The party also says it will replace the Travel Pass Scheme with a new value "freedom card" providing cheaper fares and greater integration for all commuters.
"The only short-medium term solution to the traffic chaos in the greater Dublin area is to provide commuters with the option of reliable public transport, and the only way to do this is through improved bus services," said Ms Shortall.
"The bus is going to continue to be the workhorse of the public transport system for many years to come and will continue to be a crucial element of it, even if and when all the rail and tram proposals in Transport 21 come on stream," she added.
Ms Shortall criticised the Government for having no strategy for dealing with the congestion crisis facing commuters daily.