AA calls for free public transport before Government further penalises car use

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Free public transport should be introduced across Ireland before motorists are further penalised for using their cars.

That's the view of AA Ireland as the Transport Minister prepares to unveil more measures to tempt people away from using private vehicles and opt for public transport instead.

We're calling upon the Government to introduce free public transport and shared bikes trial across the country for a dedicated period before announcing any further penalties to motorists.#freepublictransport #publictransport #transportireland https://t.co/D3zSQeOdIL

— AA Ireland (@aaroadwatch) March 6, 2023

Paddy Comyn from the AA says making other transport options free of charge first, will test if people can genuinely avail of it:

"We aren't against that people still need their cars to do their weekly shopping, to drop their kids to GAA.

"Maybe we need to get people out of the city centre in their cars but we're suggesting a trial which would make people try the alternative because it would be free for a given period."

"If that happened then we might see some real results."

“Many people will say there is no public transport solution available to them, or that the frequency isn’t there, so why not trial a well-signalled free public transport period, be it a week or a month, in order to thoroughly test the impact of moving en-masse to alternative modes."