Dublin City Council has unanimously backed a motion calling for the reversal of planned public transport fare increases scheduled to come into effect in January.

The decision follows an announcement by the National Transport Authority (NTA) that adult public transport fares across the Transport for Ireland network—including Dublin Bus, Irish Rail, Luas, Bus Éireann, and Go-Ahead Ireland—will rise by an average of 15%. Under the revised pricing structure, the popular 90-minute Leap Card fare in Dublin will increase from €2.00 to €2.30, while short-trip fares will rise from €1.50 to €2.00.

Emergency motions were introduced at the council meeting by People Before Profit, the Green Party, and the Social Democrats. The approved motion directs the council to write directly to the NTA and Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien demanding that the planned price hikes be scrapped.

Councillors argued that the price increases contradict the city's goals to reduce traffic congestion, lower carbon emissions, and encourage a modal shift away from private cars toward public transport and active travel. Opponents of the fare hikes also emphasized that higher transport costs place an unfair financial burden on daily commuters during a broader cost-of-living crisis.

People Before Profit councillor Conor Reddy welcomed the cross-party support, stating that Dublin is already heavily congested and that higher transport costs will deter people from using public transport. He called the council's vote an important step in building pressure to force a reversal.

In defence of the decision, the NTA noted that the changes represent the first broad adjustment to subsidised public transport fares since 2018. The authority maintained that even with the 15% average increase, fares will remain approximately 8% lower than they were eight years ago due to previous reductions introduced in 2022.

The NTA has also been requested to appear before the Oireachtas Transport Committee on 16 September to present the rationale and financial assessments behind the proposed fare changes.