Luas fares to increase 5.5% from next month

LUAS FARES are to increase by an average of 5.5 per cent from next month, the Railway Procurement Agency announced yesterday.

The agency said single-journey fares on both Red and Green lines will rise by 10 cent and return fares will go up by 20 cent.

There will be no increase in the cost of short trips within a single zone.

A single journey peak time ticket will now cost from €1.60 to €2.40, while the price of off-peak journeys will range between €1.50 and €2.30, depending on the number of zones travelled.

The increases will come into effect on Monday, January 5th.

Child fares will remain static for the fourth year running.

The cost of an adult seven-day ticket will go up by between 90 cent and €1.20, while a 30-day ticket is to increase by between €2.50 and €6.00.

Student seven-day tickets will increase by between 60 cent and €1.10, while the cost of a 30-day pass will rise by between €2.20 and €3.00.

The price of annual Tax Saver tickets will go up by an average of €40 per year. A Green line Tax Saver ticket will now cost €71 per month or €710 per annum, while a Red line ticket will cost €67 per month or €670 per year. A dual zone ticket will increase to €76 per month or €760 for 12 months.

The price of Smartcard fares will increase by an average of 3.5 per cent.

While tickets bought from agents will cost on average 10 per cent more, they will still be cheaper than those purchased from ticket vending machines.

RPA chief executive Frank Allen said the fare increases were needed to cover the rising costs of running the Luas.

“Luas will be five years old in 2009 and this increase will allow us to improve and maintain the quality of the service to our customers in the coming year and build a good foundation for the future.”

He said new trams will be delivered next year to cope with increased passenger demand. A total of 29 million passengers were carried by the Luas in 2007, up from 26 million the previous year.