The Governments decision has drawn widespread political and campaigning criticism, with the opposition and passenger groups saying it is not taking the cost of living or climate action seriously.The National Transport Authority used a fare determination process today to announce that many of the public transport fare reductions introduced in the last government are being rolled back. The increases are generally around 15% and will kick in 2027. The Taoiseach, Michel Martin, defended the move,reportedly saying the Governments not in a position to fund everything forever and that sustainable funding was needed. Ciaran Ahern, Labour TD and party transport spokesperson, said raising public transport fares while the Government spends 400m to keep diesel under 2 per litre beggars belief and highlights just how anti-climate and anti-worker this Government is.Deputy Ahern said: Fine Gael and Fianna Fil are doubling down on fossil fuels when they should be encouraging people to use public transport. Its anti-worker, and it proves this Governments failure to take any leadership on climate.These increases come in the wake of cost hikes for parents of children using the school transport scheme. Minister Chambers is robbing Peter to pay Paul while PAYE workers and their families are left squeezed, he said.Deputy Ahern said, This change will disproportionately hit people on lower incomes at a time when government is going out of its way to spend money to protect hauliers and those who can afford to drive. Those on lower incomes will be hit once again. Its an utterly regressive step.Keeping public transport affordable is key for commuters who are already facing spiralling costs from energy bills to food to housing. This is happening at a time when we need to keep fares low, and Labour wants to see a move towards free public transport, particularly for students and young people. This is the level of ambition needed if we are serious about meeting our climate goals and protecting peoples pockets, he said.Ahern added: If Fine Gael and Fianna Fil could find 400m to make diesel cheaper, they can and must find the money to make public transport commuting affordable.Cllr Feljin Jose, Green Party spokesperson for transport, said: With motorways full and congestion at record levels, we should be encouraging more people to use public transport, expanding services and reducing car usage. Instead, this Government has decided to make it more expensive to do the right thing in the midst of a cost of living crisis. This decision will cost us far more in congestion and emissions than it will raise in revenue.He added: In 2022, we brought in the first fare reduction in Ireland since 1947 with half-price fares for students and young people and a 20% reduction for everyone. This drove historic growth that saw record levels of public transport usage across all operators. This is now being jeopardised by the governments decision to make it more expensive.Meanwhile, the Galway, Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Drogheda Commuter Coalitions issued a joint statement calling the increases absolutely unacceptable.In recent days the government has extended cuts to excise duty on petrol and diesel. A measure which amounts to a cost of over two million euro a day. In effect, what is being asked is for those who use public transport to cover this astounding cost, the groups said.The groups said: Additionally, the government has lied about the correlation between growth in public transport usage vs population growth. Since 2019, our population has grown by about 11%, far outstripped by the about 21% increase in usage of public transport.Our message to the public across Ireland is clear. As you cram onto a crowded train or get passed by a full bus in the rain this winter, remember that the government is glad to raise your fares and to use the money they promised you for service improvements on the petrol that you dont burn, they said.The group added: The war in Iran has made it clearer than ever that Ireland must wean itself off its utter dependence on oil to help insulate its economy and standard of living. This announcement shows that the government intends to do the exact opposite, ensuring that we are more exposed than ever to the turbulence of the oil market.Rail passenger group, Rail Users Ireland, said: Disappointing news from NTA that fares will rise in January. The NTA is trying to claim its ok as we are cheaper than other cities. Other cities with world-class infrastructure and service are not exactly a fair comparison.The group also called the planned removal of open return intercity rail tickets a sneaky move.In its fare determination document, the National Transport Authority said: For this Fares Determination, Open Return fares will be discontinued as part of ongoing rail fare reforms to support the implementation of Next Generation Ticketing and contactless payment due to limitations in the reading of outdated magnetic stripe tickets.It added: Passengers are encouraged to avail of web fares, which continue to offer excellent value for single and return journeys, particularly when booked in advance. This also helps support the prediction of train loadings and best use of available rail capacity on the intercity network.Anne Shaw, CEO of the National Transport Authority, said: Our priority is to deliver the best possible public transport system for passengers. Demand is at record levels, and people rightly expect more frequent, reliable and better-connected services.This is the first general increase in PSO fares in eight years and is an important step in supporting continued investment in expanded services, increased capacity and enhanced connectivity across the country, she said.Shaw added: At the same time, almost 1.5 million people will continue to benefit from free travel or fare concessions, including children under nine, people aged 66 and over, and those eligible under the Free Travel Scheme, while the 50% Young Adult and Student Discount is being maintained. These changes strike a careful balance between keeping public transport affordable and ensuring we can continue building a larger, more accessible and better-connected network for communities across Ireland.On the fare determination page, the NTA said: Since 2022, the cost of operating public transport services has increased, the fare levels have decreased, and public policy has extended free travel to new cohorts of passengers, narrowing the fare revenue base.The shift in economic landscape following the COVID pandemic led to a sharp increase in price inflation of 20.8% between January 2022 and May 2026 in Ireland1. This price inflation also extends to the cost of operating subsidised public transport services, such as the cost for purchase/maintenance of vehicles, fuel and staff costs. The post-pandemic increase in patronage requires additional vehicles, which incurs additional staff costs to drive and maintain the fleet, which puts further pressure on the PSO public transport budget, the authority said. It added: In the same time period as the 20.8% price inflation, public transport fares decreased through various measures, including the 20% cost of living discount which was applied to all subsidised public transport fares and the Young Adult / Student discount of 50% on equivalent adult leap fares applied in 2022. In 2025, free travel was extended to include children under 9 and for companions of those over 70 as part of the Free Travel Scheme.NTA overview of fares determinationThis is a summary of the fares determination by the NTA:Dublin City Zone: Bus Services operated by Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland, Luas light rail services and DART heavy rail services operated by Iarnrd ireann Irish Rail.Cash / Leap fares and products to increase by an average of 15%Short fare to increase by 33% to 2Dublin Commuter Zone:Bus services operated by Bus ireann, Go-Ahead Ireland, J.J. Kavanagh & Sons, and commuter rail services operated by Iarnrd ireann.Most fares and current products to increase by an average of 15%A new reduced child rate priced at 33% of the equivalent adult fare for all ticket typesRetention of interim fare measures introduced as part of the Dublin Commuter Zone rolloutRegional City: Bus services in Cork, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford.No change to the Cork City Bus Leap, Cash and Daily / Weekly cap ratesA new flat fare replacing the standard and higher zone fares in Galway, Limerick and WaterfordAdult Leap fare to increase by 10% to 1.70, with a 15% increase in period productsStandardisation of the 50% Young Adult discount across all ticket types in the regional citiesA new reduced child rate priced at 33% of the equivalent adult fareTown: Athlone, Balbriggan, Carlow, Clonmel, Drogheda, Dundalk, Kilkenny (city) , Mullingar, Navan, Portlaoise and SligoTown fares to increase by 10% for Leap Adult to 1.65 and 15% for Cash to 2.30Student / Young Adult fares and products to be priced at 50% of the equivalent adult fareA new reduced child rate priced at 33% of the equivalent adult fare of 0.50 cent Leap / 0.80 cent cashNational:Bus ireann stage carriage and Intercity rail services operated by Iarnrd ireann Irish Rail.Bus stage carriage fares and products to increase by an average of 15%Intercity rail Open Return tickets to be discontinued (see Section 4.3 for further details)Intercity rail Express fares to increase by 10% and Economy fares by up to 20%Review of rail promotional faresTFI Local Link: Regular Rural ServicesAn average 15% increase in single faresRetention of the 50% Student / Young Adult discount and child fares priced at 33% of the equivalent adult fareStandardisation of period product rates in line with fare policy