Adult fares for public transport will increase by an average of 15% from January 2027 under new fare structures announced by the National Transport Authority (NTA).
In Dublin, a 90-minute Leap Card journey will increase from €2 to €2.30.
Town fares will increase by 10% for adults with Leap Cards to €1.65.
Intercity rail express fares will increase by 10% and economy fares by up to 20%.
Intercity rail Open Return tickets are to be discontinued.
The NTA said the revised fare structure is the first broad adjustment since 2018 and that even after these changes, fares will remain approximately 8% lower than they were eight years ago.
“While adult fares will increase by an average of 15%, this remains below cumulative inflation, which has increased by 20.8% since 2022,” the NTA said.
The revised fares will apply across all Public Service Obligation (PSO) services operated under the Transport for Ireland (TFI) network, including Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Irish Rail, Luas, Go-Ahead Ireland and TFI Local Link services.
The changes apply to cash fares, Leap Card fares, and time-based products, such as weekly and monthly passes.
Many child fares, particularly in regional cities and towns, will be reduced.
Free travel for all children up to their ninth birthday, and free travel for all people aged 66 and over, will be maintained.
“Fare revenue currently covers approximately 38% of operating costs, which is at the lower end of the European average,” the NTA said.
“Nearly all of the remaining costs are covered by the State. In 2026 alone, Government provided a record €940 million in PSO funding towards the cost of operating services across the Transport for Ireland network,” it added.
The authority said that the revised fare structure is intended to maintain an appropriate balance between passenger fares and State investment while ensuring continued investment in public transport services, capacity, connectivity and reliability.
The NTA says it introduced new routes, including two Mullingar town services, the extension of Dublin Bus Route 24 and enhanced TFI Local Link services across Carlow, Kilkenny and Wicklow in 2026, introduced or enhanced 58 services through BusConnects and Connecting Ireland last year.
NTA CEO Anne Shaw said the increase in public transport fares, combined with Exchequer funding, will help support significant transport projects and expand services.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, she said the NTA’s latest fares determination aims to make sure there is “standardisation across the whole of the TFI network in the country”.
“We’ve got significant funding coming in and we’ve also got significant projects that are taking place that will add to the extent of the public transport network.
“What we really want to make sure is that we can give people choice and expanding the public transport network and making public transport more accessible to many more people across the country means that people can take advantage of cheaper travel compared to personal travel, driving a car, etc.”
Ms Shaw said that while she can understand why people are frustrated when it comes to any increase in anything that they pay for, the NTA has conducted comparisons across other European jurisdictions and “actually we still fare very favourably”, she said.
Ms Shaw said that over a week-long period, Ireland’s fares are still lower than many European counterparts.
From 2027 onwards, the NTA said it will review fares annually to ensure they remain aligned with operating costs, investment requirements, and affordability objectives.
“Even with these changes, Ireland’s public transport fares remain extremely competitive by European standards, with single-trip fares in Dublin comparing favourably with those in cities including Berlin, Brussels, London and Vienna,” according to the NTA.
Why are public transport fares increasing?
The Taoiseach has said transport fares have to rise in order for services to be expanded.
Micheál Martin said there needs to be a “sustainable funding programme [to be] in a position to continue to expand services and public transport into the future”.
He said there had “already been a substantial increase in funding towards public transport over the last number of years…close to a billion in subvention and supports, so to expand that further we will require significantly more funding and this is one aspect”.
The Taoiseach said there were other ways to help relieve the pressure on families, but that public transport services needed to be expanded.
Watch: Taoiseach says transport fares have to rise for services to be expanded
‘A crucial step to expand capacity’ – minister
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien said the fare structure is “a crucial step to expand capacity across our public transport service”.
In a statement, he said: ‘While adult fares will increase, many child fares will be reduced and young adult fares will remain discounted at 50%, helping to improve affordability for families and young people.
“Free travel will continue for everyone eligible, including the under-9s and the over-65s – this means 1.5 million people, or almost 27% of our population, enjoy free travel on the basis of their age.”
“Public transport fares in Ireland will still remain competitive by international standards.
Importantly, this change is necessary to support continued investment in public transport, enabling the expansion of services and the delivery of key infrastructure projects that will improve transport frequency and connectivity.
We remain fully committed to delivering a public transport system that is reliable, accessible, affordable, and capable of meeting the growing needs of communities across the country,” he added.
The increases have been described as “absolutely unacceptable” by commuter groups.
They accused the Government of asking bus, rail and tram users to “in effect” cover the “astounding cost” of an extension in cuts to Excise Duty on petrol and diesel.
