NTA to Introduce 15% Average Public Transport Fare Increase in January 2027
Saturday 19 September 2026
Irish public transport fares will increase by an average of 15 per cent in January 2027 as part of a national fares structure standardisation by the National Transport Authority.
Irish public transport fares are set to rise by an average of 15 per cent in January 2027 under a revised national fares structure.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) published the updated fare schedule on 3 September 2026, following a strategy first set out in 2023. Minister Helen McEntee confirmed in the Dáil that the revised fares aim to standardise the national fares structure while addressing rising operational costs.
According to McEntee, public transport operations have been heavily impacted by an inflation rate of nearly 21 per cent since 2022. She argued that the transport network is not immune to these wider economic pressures, which impact operations in the same way they affect private motorists.
The fare adjustments follow previous cost-reduction measures introduced by the government. These included a 20 per cent cost-of-living reduction in fares, a 50 per cent discount for young adult cardholders, and extending free travel to children under the age of nine.
Opposition TD Aidan Farrelly criticised the fare increases, calling them a political decision that disincentivises public transport use during a climate emergency. McEntee maintained that the government must balance investment to expand the transport network with the reality of inflation, adding that the state has provided €1.4 billion in wider cost-of-living supports.