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Bríd Smith If we did free transport right, we can convince more than 1% of car users to switch

We need better, more frequent and efficient public transport in rural and urban areas and we need to make it free, writes Bríd Smith.

THE RECENT DEBATES around the merits or otherwise of free public transport are welcome.

In over 100 cities and regions around the world FFPT (Fare Free Public Transport) is a reality. In many other places, campaigns demanding it or experiments with it are increasing.

The astonishing thing in this debate for many of us, has been the trenchant opposition from the Green Party to the measure – a policy which is widely supported among other Green parties and environmental groups in other countries is opposed here.

Minister Eamon Ryan’s dismissal of it on the grounds of giving rise to “unnecessary trips” is telling, while other representatives have questioned its impact on reducing car use or costs.

All have sought to use an Ernst and Young report as the definitive word on the issue.

Firstly, the dichotomy between providing better more frequent public transport and free public transport is a dichotomy only in the heads of those opposing free public transport. It’s a false narrative and one that neither I nor others who advocate free and frequent public transport have ever raised. We need both.

We need better, more frequent and efficient public transport in rural and urban areas and we need to make it free. Unfortunately, we are doing neither and the much-touted improvements promised to date barely scratch the surface of the revolution we need in public transport.

One supporter of the report told us that the €590 million in fares foregone could buy nearly 800 buses. True. But the Greens and Government have no plans to buy 800 buses next year. Just as they have no plans to provide free public transport.

The idea that this is a bad use of funds or that it should be counterposed to other needed measures is to fundamentally misunderstand the benefits it could yield and the need for radical climate action in the face of this crisis.

While much PR is spent on promised future Dart, Luas and rail projects, which are welcome, the bus will remain the workhorse of our public transport system and its increased capacity and reach is key in any hope of getting motorists out of cars.

The Busconnects scheme for Dublin promises at the end of its life a boost of just 200 buses across the city. The combined total fleet operating in Dublin now has only recently reached the same levels we had in 2009 when the last Green Party Transport Minister cut hundreds from the fleet as an austerity measure.

In areas like Ballyfermot, the changes the NTA have introduced have seen an actual worsening of the service. It’s certainly true that people in lower Ballyfermot will not be enticed to move out of their cars if the service was free, because they don’t really have a service anymore. The old 79 route has been scrapped and replaced with an hourly bus that rarely shows up on time.

The experience is not unusual across the city. In rural areas, of course, there is little to connect many villages, towns and cities. The much-lauded recent increases in rural local links, while welcome, do nothing to reverse the thousands of lost departures implemented by Bus Éireann over the last decade as they withdrew from many small villages and towns.

Much of this was forced on them by the NTA licensing private for-profit operators or from cuts by the central government.

Generally, I take E&Y reports with a large pinch of salt: the big four accountancy firms are relied upon frequently by state agencies and government bodies to deliver a report which confirms the states preferred policy.

The reports suggestion that FFPT will result in increased anti-social activity and result in just a 1% decline in car usage. I believe both conclusions are flawed and designed to kill off the debate on the merits of FFPT. How many people leave cars at home or reduce their car usage depends on how you implement FFPT.

It is true that the experience in other regions and cities is that FFPT does not in itself result in a mass exodus from private cars. Although the numbers in Tallin, Dunkirk and other cities are certainly higher than 1%. It depends largely on what you do at the same time in terms of capacity, frequency and crucially connectivity.

The best results tend to be accompanied by increased connectivity to wider areas and regions as well as increase frequency and reliability. We didn’t really need one the big four accountancy firms to tell us that.

But what E&Y, the NTA and a cohort of Green and professionals miss is the real benefits that FFPT would have on wider issues and climate actions. Even a 1% reduction in car usage could mean hundreds of millions less in kilometres driven by cars, millions of tonnes less in oil and diesel and emissions, cleaner air in cities and towns, increased social inclusion and real benefits for lower paid workers, students, and marginalised groups.

In fact, many of the campaigns for FFPT have been waged precisely for these benefits. But climate is also key, and therefore it is so profoundly disappointing that the Greens don’t get it.

This government is failing to reduce emission across all sectors.

Transport accounted for 34% of energy related CO2 emissions in 2021, according to the SEAI

They are a part of a global failure with terrifying consequences. More Co2 than ever in human history was emitted last year – some 30 years after the Kyoto Protocol.

In the face of an obvious and worsening climate crisis, we have seen a massive backlash from fossil fuel interests, a boom in gas production and profits and an increase in the ideas of climate denial and scepticism.

Many ordinary people see green polices as a litany of carbon taxes, congestion charges and unaffordable demands for lifestyle changes and are completely alienated from them and from climate action.

To date, reliance on market mechanisms, private investment decisions, carbon trading and taxes have failed abysmally. Reliance on neoliberal economic thinking will not stop climate chaos here or globally.

FFPT has the potential to change this debate and build a powerful constituency around climate action.

Many of the things we need to do to tackle climate can benefit, not punish ordinary people. Switching to public transport and connecting communities and regions is one.

Making it free could say to people that, like warmer healthier homes, the work needed can make most people’s lives measurably better.

The enthusiasm I have seen for this measure from students, lower paid workers and hard-pressed families makes its potential as a climate measure enormous.

If we do this right, we can convince much more than 1% of car users to switch to a convenient and reliable mass transit option.

The opposition to it is reminiscent of the same economic conservative arguments against free education or free healthcare.

One day people will wonder how any progressive or climate concerned person could have opposed it or relied on a flawed consultancy report to rubbish it.

Bríd Smith is a People Before Profit TD for Dublin South Central.

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    Mute The next small thing
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    Mar 13th 2023, 7:40 AM

    So according to Brid not only do we need to provide the service for free, resulting in a loss of 590 million in revenue, we also need to increase the number and frequency of services. Nothing at all about the cost of this proposal and where the money is coming from. We’d all love things to be free but in the real world someone, i.e. the taxpayer, will be paying for this.

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    Mute Chris Linehan
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    Mar 13th 2023, 8:02 AM

    @The next small thing: The loss in revenue is a figure that’s easily compiled because it’s based on the immediate and tangible short term costs: people not paying = €590m less revenue. Much harder to compile would be the potential long term financial benefits of less cars/less often on the road: potential reduction in carbon fines, roadwork maintenance, loss of economic productivity due to traffic, improvements to general population health etc. The projections of these benefits may prove the scheme to be a dead duck, but it’s worth assessing before simply shouting it down as just being a populist freebie.

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    Mute Keith Twamley
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    Mar 13th 2023, 9:47 AM

    @Chris Linehan: Exactly Chris, it is the most practical thing that can be done and Greens want nothing to do with it. Instead we focus on everyone owning an electric car, retrofitting every house in the country. Pipe dreams that will happen extremely slowly if at all.

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Mar 13th 2023, 1:37 PM

    @The next small thing: Brid makes some excellent points in this article , the amount of waffle and fudging in that EY report was shameful – they had throwaway sentences on many important aspects of the transport issue such as “ it was concluded that offering free fares would also likely have an impact on the commercial viability of the private operators ? As if that means just because they decided to offer a tiny % of routes to private operators ( to avoid maintaining an illegal state monopoly for Dublin Bus ) they now hide behind this fig leaf as an excuse not to reform significantly / New Zealand tested using cloud tech for matching supply and demand of buses based on actual demand / can greens MAYBE try some real innovation for Ireland transport while in govt PLEASE

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Mar 13th 2023, 1:44 PM

    @Dave Hammond: added note / re test in New Zealand / by matching the numbers of mobile handsets at bus stop locations and using cloud to assess passengers at stops and increasing frequency’s based on actual demand they whole system can be much more efficient and effective reallocating vehicles so they carry more passengers and on time / we need to look at potential tech solutions to reform transport / EY should have outlined this instead of publishing a report to just suit the narrative of the government / but I can’t say I’m surprised

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    Mute zephyrum
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    Mar 13th 2023, 7:26 AM

    Eamon Ryan’s opposition to it saying there’ll be too many “unnecessary trips” is laughable.

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    Mute Longlin
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    Mar 13th 2023, 7:44 AM

    @zephyrum: It’s not often I’d agree with Eamon Ryan, but I’m afraid he’s right in this regard and he has evidence from other countries to back him up. The above article is inspirational and based on hopes rather than facts. My own concern would be the almost guaranteed rise in anti-social behaviour that may even turn away current public transport users. I’d favour having a heavily subsidised public transport system with nominal small charges but without a major increase in services, it’s likely to do little to dissuade people from using their cars.

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Mar 13th 2023, 1:51 PM

    @Longlin: evidence from other countries in this regard is classic comparing apples with pears / comparing other countries is the get out when they want to be selective / for example if another country / city has a subway system and Ireland doesn’t / you immediately shouldn’t be using that other country as an example / there isn’t a single other capital city that doesn’t have a rail link with the main airport / there are plenty of other unique issues re Dublin / Ireland / weather when it comes to comparing cycling , distances orbital routes bus frequency , spoke and hub systems , legacy dispatch systems / it’s just so flawed to look at something like fares in isolation and try extract the % impact difference and apply to Ireland / any intelligent analysis of transport avoids EU comparison

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    Mute Jason Walsh
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    Mar 13th 2023, 8:56 AM

    Free transport has led to an increase in antisocial behaviour and the need for transport police to have a good presence. We have no transport police so our transport system is made free would become a no mans land fairly quickly in certain locations and spread further. Passenger numbers would drop and drivers would refuse to do routes. Regular and reliable transport is what folk want, they don’t mind paying a reasonable fare for that and polls have shown that. So quit this talk and free and focus on regularly and reliable.

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    Mute Noel Donohue
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    Mar 13th 2023, 7:54 AM

    Another bright idea from the loony left

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Mar 13th 2023, 10:37 AM

    @Noel Donohue: A true Varadkar soundbite. Perhaps Ryan could hire another adviser on this matter,along with the 10 advisers he already has . It was not the Loony left that got us in this position. It was the policies of FFG who have governed this state since it’s foundation. FFG are just Irish conservatives who replaced British conservatives.

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    Mute Type17
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    Mar 13th 2023, 11:27 AM

    @Noel Donohue: Where are your great ideas? What would you do to mitigate climate breakdown? Sniping at proposals, using dog whistle populist terms, is not going to change anything.

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    Mute Lydia McLoughlin
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    Mar 13th 2023, 9:58 AM

    In the likes of Prague the charge is small for public transport and the frequency of this transport is fantastic. We need both. Those using the services there are many as it works, its reliable and cheap. Ireland drags its heals with many projects why I do not know. We need better infrastructure not least a train or luas or whatever to the airport and beyond. Nothing should be built without these plans in place but Ryan just wants to tax and charge motorists to oblivion and prefer to have you cycling to Dublin Airport from Kerry with your bags if your’re flying to Spain!!

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Mar 13th 2023, 11:35 AM

    @Lydia McLoughlin: Agree. It isn’t simply once-off holiday transport either. Several “Green” voters see no problem with recycling centres – they use family cars & can’t see that most people must get on a bus with bags to be recycled. Weekly, monthly journeys, awkward journeys by people who can’t drive, can’t afford to drive, can’t afford to pay extra for a service which councils used to provide locally.

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    Mute Suzanne Phelan
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    Mar 13th 2023, 11:43 AM

    Until the issue of anti social behaviour is resolved I for one will not be using public transport.

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    Mute Marie Broomfield
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    Mar 13th 2023, 9:14 AM

    People in cities should be heavily charged for using cars to get around. Any people who can only be convinced by giving them free stuff, are not the type of people who care about damage to the planet etc.Why fund them to make 101 unneccesary trips to town! Tax higer for emmissions in cities instead of rural!

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Mar 13th 2023, 11:38 AM

    Odd take. Most country people drive everywhere. Cities have other options – public transport, paths, cycle lanes. At least acknowledge that many people living in cities don’t need to drive everywhere!

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    Mute Marie B
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    Mar 13th 2023, 1:04 PM

    @Fiona Fitzgerald: “Odd take” speak for yourself, at least i’m sticking to the issue, which is about whether we should have free transport as an incentive to encourage people to leave the car at home in order to reduce emmissions. It’s irrelevant whether rural people drive everywhere or whether there are other options for city folk. So why on earth would i need to mention them? And just because you don’t see them written here does not infer a denial of their existance.

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    Mute James Delaney
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    Mar 13th 2023, 12:34 PM

    Says the rich politician when she parks her BMW or can be shoffered when it suits ,,our public transport is unreliable and can be very dangerous,you’ll have sort out the drug problems before you’ll see most drivers supporting your fake climate control measures
    Fffg out

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    Mute Derek Carley
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    Mar 13th 2023, 9:34 AM

    If it’s free a lot more than 1% would use it .

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    Mute n00bsalsa
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    Mar 13th 2023, 1:04 PM

    You can make it free all you want just don’t want to sit on a crammed bus or train with strangers. I suspect im not the only one who feels that way.

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    Mute Don Hogan
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    Mar 13th 2023, 1:32 PM

    1% decrease in car usage with free transport is hardly worth the effort. Would like to see data which was tied to predict the 1% decrease. I doubt if data has a zero % standard deviation.

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    Mute Greg Timony
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    Mar 14th 2023, 2:10 PM

    I agree wholeheartedly. There is an urgent need to entice people out of their cars and properly funded Free Public transport is the way to do it. As the ‘Green’ party has copped out or gone to sleep with neo-liberal hangover, PBP are having to fill in for them

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