Sir, – It seems the latest poll showing the Labour Party at 3 per cent has caused the party to resort to populism (“€200 cap on childcare and €9 public transport fares among Labour proposals”, News, September 8th). The Irish public transport system doesn’t need a massive decrease in fares, as suggested by Labour leader Ivana Bacik. It needs a huge increase in funding to deliver high-quality service across all of Ireland with a focus on rural counties.
Labour’s proposed €9 transport fare would not benefit rural Ireland.
Our public transport, especially in rural Ireland, is nothing like Germany’s vast public transport network. According to a European Commission study in 2015, only 1 per cent of Dublin’s population is considered to have very high level of access to a public transport service, while in Berlin it’s 13.8 per cent.
If Dublin is rated this low, I ask readers to imagine where the rest of the country stands.
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I believe this proposal would do very little for those outside the Pale.
If Ivana Bacik wants her party to go up in the polls, she will have to think of those living outside Dublin. – Yours, etc,
Cllr RORY O’CONNOR,
(Independent),
Enniskerry,
Co Wicklow.