Numbers using public transport hits record high

Muireann Duffy

Public transport usage recovered from its Covid-19 slump to reach record highs last year, figures from the National Transport Authority (NTA) show.

In 2023, over 308 million journeys were made on Transport for Ireland public service obligation (PSO) services, which include Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann, Luas and Go-Ahead Ireland.

Last year was the busiest to date for the State's public transport system, marking the first time annual passenger numbers exceeded 300 million.

Overall, there was a 24 per cent increase in public transport usage on 2022's figures, and a 5 per cent increase on the previous record set in 2019.

Public transport figures for the three years from 2020 to 2022 were all impacted by the Covid pandemic.

A breakdown of last year's figures showed Dublin Bus provided over 145 million journeys, while Bus Éireann saw a marked increase in passengers, increasing from 35 million in 2022 to over 44 million in 2023.

The Luas carried approximately 48.2 million passengers over the 12-month period, a 25 per cent increase on 2022, while Irish Rail's numbers also saw a significant annual increase, rising by just shy of 10 million passengers to reach 45.5 million.

In rural areas, TFI Local Link bus services covered 3.2 million passenger journeys, up 78 per cent annually, as over 60 new and enhanced services were launched across the country.

Commenting on the figures, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said public transport turned a significant corner in 2023.

"Communities up and down the country are now benefiting from the significantly increased and enhanced public transport and the new lower fares we have introduced."

He said the public transport usage figures ae "really encouraging", adding: "It shows that when you provide good transport services people flock to them, in both urban and rural areas."