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Demonstrators gathered outside Government Buildings in Dublin to protest a confirmed fifteen percent average increase in adult public transport fares from January. Opposition leaders, doctors and students criticised the move, warning it would hit workers, students and low-income commuters while worsening public health and climate outcomes.
A demonstration took place outside Government Buildings in Dublin on Friday after it was confirmed that adult fares on public transport will increase by an average of fifteen percent from January.
Protesters gathered to voice their opposition to the fare hike, which they argue will disproportionately affect workers, students and low-income commuters who rely on buses and trains for daily travel. The decision has sparked sharp criticism from opposition parties, environmental groups and student representatives, all of whom warn of serious social, economic and public health consequences.
Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman strongly criticised the Government over the fare increase, stating that decision-makers do not use public transport themselves and therefore fail to appreciate its value. He argued that if politicians do not step foot on the Dart or the Dublin Bus service, they cannot truly understand the impact of rising fares on ordinary commuters.
O'Gorman also confirmed that the National Transport Authority is being called before the Oireachtas transport committee later this month to address the decision. He made clear that the blame lies with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael rather than the NTA, accusing the coalition of imposing costs on those who depend most on public transport. Orlagh Gaynor, representing Irish Doctors for the Environment, delivered a stark warning that the fare increase would cost lives.
She explained that thousands of people die every year from air pollution, noise pollution, stress and sedentary lifestyles, and that raising fares would push even more commuters into private cars, worsening these outcomes. Gaynor emphasised that patients need public transport to reach hospitals and attend medical appointments, while healthcare workers rely on it to get to their jobs.
She described the policy as an attack on public health, social justice and equity, and criticised the contradiction of subsidising fossil fuels while simultaneously raising public transport fares. Labour leader Ivana Bacik characterised the Government's transport policy as Trumpian, claiming that huge progress made on public transport investment and cycling infrastructure during the previous Green Party presence in government is now being reversed.
She accused the administration of prioritising road-building over sustainable transport options and called on the public to resist this direction. Daniel Walsh, president of Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn, the national representative body for third-level students, described the fare increase as another kick in the teeth for students.
He pointed out that students have already faced rising college fees and accommodation costs, while many are forced to commute several hours a day due to a lack of purpose-built student accommodation. Walsh warned that the fare hike would add yet another financial burden on young people trying to access higher education. Michael Kennedy, a student from Drogheda in County Louth who commutes to Dublin for university, echoed these concerns at the protest.
He described the fare increase as an attack on working class people and those who cannot afford to drive or take lessons, saying it represented yet another expense being imposed on people who already struggle to make ends meet. The protest highlighted widespread anger over what demonstrators see as a regressive policy that undermines climate goals, burdens students and low-income workers, and discourages the use of public transport at a time when Ireland urgently needs to reduce transport emissions
Public Transport Fare Increase Dublin Protest Green Party Roderic O'gorman Student Costs
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