Sir, – David McWilliams is right as far as he goes regarding free public transport but omits at least one other benefit of it ("Make buses, trains and trams free – and revolutionise Irish transport" (Opinion, January 29th).
As somebody who is a bus passenger every single day (including during lockdowns), the bane of my life are the passengers who board a bus while having their cash or card in as inconvenient a place as possible for them to actually retrieve and use. If all such people stepped aboard a bus and immediately went to a seat then collective bus punctuality would greatly increase. And that would mean buses collectively using less fuel and generating fewer emissions. – Yours, etc,
FRANK DESMOND,
Cork.
Sir, – The call for fare-free public transport is an interesting suggestion (Letters, January 31st).
From personal observation, this has been in operation on the Luas Red Line for years. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN McMAHON,
Naas,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – I applaud David McWilliams’s vision for Ireland’s metropolitan future, where public transport, cyclists and pedestrians dominate our urban roads. This shift away from the dominance of private cars is essential to achieve Ireland’s ambition of carbon neutrality and, as David McWilliams eloquently outlines, will bring many other rewards, including reduced pollution and congestion, and a host of social, health and economic benefits.
Your columnist states that the best incentive for switching people’s behaviour from car to public transport use is price, making public transport free and applying congestion charges for car use.
While price is an important incentive, it is but one of the predictors of transport behaviour that needs to be targeted to get people onto public transport.
I live in a relatively densely populated suburb of Galway city. Public transport here is provided by an independent operator. Bus stops are poles at the side of the road containing no shelter, seat or information. The timetable is difficult to find, and when found, is only ever a rough estimate of when any bus will travel.
The buses themselves are a fleet of cast-offs from another European country, where they have been long ago declared unfit for purpose.
I suspect that most of my neighbours would not use this public transport, even if they were paid to do so.
Public transport needs to be reliable, efficient, easy, frequent and comfortable.
The Government needs to invest significantly to upgrade the quality of public transport all around the country.
If it can be offered free of charge at the point of use, that would be the cherry on the cake. – Yours, etc,
Prof MOLLY BYRNE,
Knocknacarra,
Galway.