Given the changes in commuting patterns over the the last 10 to 15 years, surely there is an argument for increasing the zones out to Portlaoise / Longford / Dundalk. Didn't there used to be medium, large and giant hops years ago?
It is getting really quite seriously stupid to have to pay for a complete extra Dublin bus or Luas pass if your journey can't be completed on the heavy rail system. How this is justifiable is beyond me and it is a big reason for people making unnecessary car commutes.
It is the same argument as for the concert specials - we don't need proper fare integration (LEAP is not fare integration) because nobody uses multi-mode outside the Short Hop zone. AS an example, the Longford commuter service could be massively improved at zero cost to the taxpayer by simply allowing passholders free access to Bus Eireann expressway busses yet this is impossible because this is a "commercial" service.
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