Dublin is ranked worst for public transport among 30 European capitals by Greenpeace, based on affordability and simplicity for users in purchasing tickets.
The environmental campaign group has called for a European-wide reduction in ticket prices to tackle the climate and energy crises. Public transportation is too expensive in many places, the study concluded in an assessment published Thursday.
“In the context of climate, energy and cost of living crises, less polluting, healthier and more efficient modes of transport should be accessible to all,” the report says.
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Greenpeace is calling on national and local governments to introduce affordable “climate tickets” for public transport, and for the European Commission to facilitate this – “with the aim of introducing a single Europe-wide climate ticket in the future”.
Lorelei Limousin, transport campaigner at Greenpeace EU, said: “Affordable public transport is essential, but many governments, including Ireland, treat it as a luxury good. Millions of people rely on buses, trams and trains to get to work.” and school, to meet their family and friends, and to participate in the community in a sustainable way.
Dublin scored 36 points out of 100 in the city ranking. It is “the only city analyzed that does not have a fixed-price long-term ticket for all modes of transport available to all passengers.”
The analysis concludes that the monthly pass is only available to employees, when their employers join the Tax Savings Programme. “All other passengers can only purchase monthly subscriptions for Dublin buses, trams and trains separately.”
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Dublin admits it has an electronic ticketing system, with weekly payments recently capped at €32. Greenpeace has taken this price as the basis for the rating, in the absence of a monthly ticket. However, the regular price is the second highest of all the cities analysed, she says – at €3.16 per day after price level adjustment. The weekly maximum for students is half the maximum for adults. Seniors over the age of 66 travel free throughout Ireland. The same applies to people receiving disability allowance, blindness pension, carers’ allowance or disability pension.
Ireland, which ranks 13th among countries, received its points only for the travel card for seniors over the age of 66, people with disabilities and carers, which provides free public transport. “Apart from this, there are no best practice elements in the ticketing system,” he adds.
Public transport tickets in the EU are subject to VAT at a rate of 11%, which is higher than many other essential services and necessities, although public transport tickets are exempt in Ireland.
Greenpeace says VAT on cross-border air tickets in the EU is zero per cent, and no tax is imposed on kerosene used in aircraft, keeping prices for polluting transport low, while climate-friendly transport remains expensive.
Apart from Luxembourg and Malta, which have made local public transport free, only Austria, Germany and Hungary have offered relatively affordable tickets nationwide, costing less than €3 per day, she says. About two-thirds of the countries analyzed do not have nationwide long-term travel passes at all.
Mobility is the second largest expense for European households after housing. Transport accounts for 25 percent of emissions in the EU and about 70 percent of the oil used in the EU.
