NTA accused of ‘poor judgement’ as bus fares across Limerick set to increase

BUS fares across Limerick city are set to rise on December 1 next.

At present, passengers using Bus Eireann’s eight city bus services – and the Shannon Airport bus within the urban area – pay €2.30 per journey.

However, this is to increase by 10c next week, following the publication of the National Transport Authority’s (NTA) fare determination for 2019.​

Customers using pre-paid Leap cards will pay less – but their rate for a single fare will also rise from €1.61 to around €1.70 per journey.

Chairman of the transport committee, Cllr Frankie Daly has accused the NTA of “poor judgement” in relation to the increase.

“​Many bus services across the city do not run to timetable. The whole structure needs to be revisited, the whole service needs to be totally revamped. Buses are cut left, right and centre. This is going to affect students, elderly people, and others who rely on buses.”

He said if Bus Eireann was providing a “quality of service” in Limerick, it would be justified: “I find it very poor. Buses aren’t on time when they are scheduled. You wait at a bus stop and it doesn’t turn up. There is no signage. If you go there, and you’re a student, or you’re not too familiar with the routes, there are no maps at the stops to say buses come at certain times.”