Labour Promises Cheaper Bus Fares If They're Elected Into Government

On Monday Labour announced that they would reduce all adult bus fares in Dublin to €1 and child-fares to 50 cents if they formed part of a government after the next election.

As well as the proposal for cheaper bus fares in the city, Labour's 'Get Dublin Moving: Ending The Gridlock' policy document also promises an additional 6 park-and-ride spots around the M50 and the completion of Dublin's 11 Quality Bus Corridors.

Announcing the new policy, Labour's transport spokeperson Roisin Shortall said that, "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."

"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," she added.

She also promised that Labour would add an additional 500 buses in Dublin, noting that, "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."