O’Brien defends bus and train fares hike, says public transport affordable by EU standards

Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien defended planned increases in public transport fares as he highlighted the need to fund new public transport services.O’Brien, who is also Minister for Climate and Energy, was speaking as European energy ministers gathered at Dublin Castle for an informal meeting where energy affordability and security are on the agenda for talks. The meeting is being held as part of Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. It was confirmed by the National Transport Authority earlier this month that bus and rail fares are to increase by 15 per cent on average from January. READ MOREOn Tuesday the Irish Independent reported that the Just Transition Commission, an independent advisory body, contacted the Government urging it to halt the planned increases in fares citing concerns over climate action and the cost of living. O’Brien gave no indication the fare increases would be halted when asked if this would happen in the budget.The Fianna Fáil Minister said the fuel measures brought in by the Government are to support society and the economy and are not a subsidy for fossil fuels. He also highlighted the start of the Fuel Allowance season this week for households at risk of fuel poverty.O’Brien said there has not been a fare increase for eight years and that the increases planned by the NTA “will go directly into new services” with an intention to roll-out 140 new services next year. He added: “Ireland’s transport system and public transport is affordable by any comparison across the EU” and people “want more services for a growing population”.Meanwhile, on the question of whether expected carbon tax increases on petrol and diesel will kick in the day after the budget – as has happened in recent years – O’Brien said: “we’re still in budgetary discussions at the moment.”He said the carbon tax “provides us [with] the funding for us to retrofit homes and retrofit businesses”, that some 287,000 homes had been retrofitted so far and “we’ve seen a doubling of applications this year alone.”He added: “They’re things that actually protect people from future price shocks and also reduce energy bills, reduce emissions.”Asked if he was concerned a postponement of carbon tax increases for motor fuels or home heating oil would lead to less funding for retrofitting initiatives, O’Brien said measures like the planned €2,000 scrappage payment for oil boilers are “fully funded” through climate funds and the carbon tax “so I don’t envisage any reduction whatsoever in relation to the acceleration of the grants”. Separately there has been discussions among EU ministers on US president Donald Trump’s suggestion last week that he would back a proposal to ban US diesel exports as part of efforts to ease prices for American motorists. US energy secretary Chris Wright subsequently said a ⁠diesel export ban would not work.European energy commissioner Dan Jørgensen told reporters on Tuesday: “I’ve sent a very clear signal to my American counterpart and also the public, which is that it is not in the interests of anybody, not the US not us, to not have as free a flow of energy as possible in these difficult times.” He also said he was “happy to see that Chris Wright has said publicly that he is also not supporting such a ban”.O’Brien cast doubt on whether a diesel export ban will be implemented by the US. He said he was in Washington, DC, last week and “from the information that I was able to glean in DC last week there doesn’t seem to be a push to do that” but also “we’re not going to be complacent about it”.