Sir, – There is an alternative to CIÉ’s proposal to offset losses, due to falling customer numbers, with increased prices.
Normally when businesses lose customers they either reduce prices or improve their service to win back business. In CIÉ’s case the simple answer is to implement a world-class integrated ticketing system across all services, making public transport easier to use and more effective, thus increasing demand for its services.
If you increase prices you lose customers, it is that simple. In CIÉ’s case it can lose customers until only those who don’t have a choice remain: that would be those without access to a car. It would be so much better if it took a more positive attitude and made its service so efficient and user friendly that people just leave the car at home.
Cheap, efficient and user- friendly public transport systems, while subsidised by government, like CIÉ, were remarkably cost- effective and efficient in several other countries where I lived in the past. – Yours, etc,