Statistics from 2017 suggest that 46 million more journeys were made on Irish public transport last year than in 2016.
Last year, 252 million total public transport journeys were recorded across Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann, Luas and LocalLink. In total, this represented a 12 percent in use of public transport in Ireland compared to the previous year.
Dublin Bus journeys accounted for the largest subsection of public transport journeys. The statements reads: "The performance by Dublin Bus has been very strong and the company provided the largest number of passenger journeys in 2017 at over 136m. This represents an increase of almost 9 percent over 2016 and represents four straight years of passenger growth. Dublin Bus now accounts for 54 percent of all PSO passenger journeys."
Numbers on Luas increased by 10.6 percent to 37.6m, in 2017. The Green Line now extends to Broombridge, and provides interchange with the Red Line and greater connectivity to rail services.
Iarnród Éireann saw passenger journeys increase from 42.8m to 45.5m, an increase of over 6 percent compared to 2016.
Bus Éireann use fell by .9 million journeys, but this is partially attributable to a lengthy spell of industrial action.
Tim Gaston, Director of Public Transport Services, National Transport Authority said: “2017 was another year of strong passenger growth in public transport, and the role of the operators and their staff should be acknowledged in that regard.
“Today’s figures are a further indication of a clear demand for safe, efficient and reliable public transport services. Particularly so when the public transport alternative is environmentally friendly and offers value for money.
