Public transport passenger groups, opposition parties and student unions have come together to call on people to contact their TDs over the recently announced increase in bus, Luas, and rail fares. The National Transport Authority recently announced that fares for public obligation services would jump 15-35% from the start of 2027, in the same week that Government confirmed it would extend fuel subsidies for motorists. The fare hike is widely seen as a political shift from the last government, which lowered the fares across the board for the first time in decades. The Commuter Coalition groups in Cork, Galway, Drogheda, Limerick and Dublin have come together under the banner of Commuter Coalitions of Ireland and launched the Send the Message Stop the Fare Hikes campaign. They say it calls on commuters to contact their TDs and demand the Government maintain the existing fares.Given the growing cost of living and environmental crisis, against the backdrop of ever-increasing congestion in our towns and villages. The decision to make it prohibitively expensive to travel sustainably is a step in the wrong direction. Government seems content in underfunding the NTAs annual budget, which has seen transport expansion effectively stop over the last year and the fare hike is unlikely to see that change, the groups said. The Commuter Coalition groups said: The Department of Public Expenditure has clearly demonstrated they can find additional funding when it comes to subsidising fossil fuels for private motorists and are now discussing extending gas subsidies to data centres. Unfortunately, they seem unwilling to make the same financial accommodations for people doing their part to reduce our national carbon footprint.Public transport users wont hold the country to ransom by blocking critical infrastructure, but they can exert political pressure by inundating their local representatives with their personal story of how the fare hikes will impact them, their statement said.Commuter Coalition groups added: In the coming weeks ahead of Budget 2027, commuters can expect to see campaigners at bus stops, Luas stops and train stations across the countrys major cities. Collectively, we can change this decision, but we must act now.The Commuter Coalition groups say their campaign is supported by Sinn Fin, the Social Democrats, the Labour Party, the Green Party, and People Before ProfitSolidarity, a number of student unions and the Irish Cycling Campaign.The groups have set up a template at galwaycommuters.ie/fares if this does not work for you, you can also find your TDs contact details at contactyourtd.ie.