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Unread 03-11-2016, 18:46   #9
James Howard
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Sligo Line
Posts: 1,115
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They've been saying that about fare elasticity for the last couple of years. Essentially they know they can't get more money from the occasional traveller since they can take the bus, they can't get any money from the Free Travel, so they've basically been sticking it to the poor suffering commuter who has no choice.

My first pass 12 years ago was 2,400 euro. Next year it will be 4320 plus 220 parking. The average wage has essentially been flat over that period of time. The net cost after Taxsaver has almost exactly doubled. I can't remember the ongoing increases, but from memory a day return has gone up by not much more than 30 or 40% in the same time period.

A monthly for my station will now be 17.5 times the price of a day return. Since few people commute all five days from such a distance, essentially Irish Rail now get more money per journey from a season ticket holder than they do from a one-off day return. This is quite frankly ridiculous. In my case, I travel about 3.5 days a week on an annual so they get more money per journey from me than from a one-off day-tripper.

It's only the taxsaver that makes the whole thing worthwhile but that is nothing to do with Irish Rail.

Last edited by James Howard : 03-11-2016 at 18:49.
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