Bus fares in Cork will be reduced from December 1

MONTHLY bus fares in Cork are to drop by 6%, from €156 to €146, from December 1.

The decision to reduce fares was made by the National Transport Authority.

It comes as part of a number of changes to fares across the country.

The price of a monthly ticket covering the GReen Zone which covers much of Cork city will fall from €156 to €146.

The authority is setting fares for 2020 by way of two fares determinations.

The first determination outlines adjustments for all monthly and annual tickets (including taxsaver tickets).

It will have an effective implementation date of December 1.

The second determination will address adjustments for all other fares and will be published in March, 2020, with changes effective in April, 2020.

Monthly and annual tickets account for some 15% of the total fare revenue for Bus Éireann.

Monthly fares are dropping 12%, from €59.50 to €52 in Limerick and Galway.

In Dublin, the annual and monthly Luas-only tickets increased by 7.4% to €1,300 and €130.

Annual tickets for Bus Éireann passengers in the Eastern commuter areas will drop by over 4%.

Anne Graham, chief executive of the National Transport Authority, said: “The National Transport Authority will continue to work to make fares as simple and consistent as possible.

“In today’s determination, we have seen some fares go up slightly and some come down.

“Overall, fare revenue will increase by less than 2%, which is in line with inflation, so this is certainly not a revenue-generating exercise.”