JUNIOR TRANSPORT MINISTER Seán Canney has dismissed criticism of the government’s public transport fare hikes, coming amid new fuel subsidies for motorists.

Adult fares on buses and trains nationwide are set to increase by an average of 15% from January.

Speaking to The Journal at the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) conference in Killarney on Saturday, Canney said that he regularly gets complaints about buses being delayed or cancelled.

The junior minister for road safety said he hopes the increased fares will go towards fixing those problems.

Canney rejected criticism that the fares are unfair, given they happened only days after the Dáil returned early to approve an extended reduction of 30c per litre for diesel and 25c for petrol until 31 October.

“I know you people will say that there is a conflict of giving people incentives to use their cars by reducing custom excise,” the Galway East TD said.

“But there’s a lot of people in this country who still have no alternative but to use their cars. I’m in a rural area and I know that people have to get their cars and go to work. They need some support too.”

Asked whether the public transport fare hikes may mean that those who use public transport most often – such as those who commute for work – may face the biggest financial loss, Canney said it’s not only public transport users who are under pressure.

“Everybody is hard-pressed at the moment, with the cost of living. A lot of what’s happening in terms of cost of living is happening as a result of geopolitical issues way outside the control of this government.”

The Independent added that getting people to pay more will allow the government to “extend” current services.

“My objective is to get every person who uses public transport a very good experience so they will continue to use it,” he said.

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The fare increase follows a review by the National Transport Authority. It is the first increase since 2019.

Canney is in Killarney as a guest of this weekend’s IRHA conference.

The road haulage lobby is seeking the retention of fuel subsidies beyond October, as well as measures covering biofuels, and the further postponement of carbon tax increases.

The minister said he did not want to preempt the budget negotiations, adding that he wants to work with the IRHA on the issues the group is raising.