Is the decision to introduce a congestion charge for morning rush hour LUAS customers 'outrageous'? The Rail Procurement Agency has confirmed that an extra charge of 10 cent will be imposed on tickets between 7.45am and 9.30am.
Surely a fare increase like this is counterproductive, because it will discourage the use of public transport and force passengers back into their cars. It assumes that commuters have alternatives, and that they can and will vary their work hours and departure times to avoid the 10 cent surcharge. It assumes that commuters enjoy and consciously choose to travel in congested carriages. The reality is that the lives of most workers are restricted, not just by their working hours but also by family considerations, such as the need to bring children to crèches and schools.
In many cases commuters simply cannot vary their departure times to avoid the LUAS morning peak period. To suggest they should leave earlier and 'have a cup of coffee' before going to work is simply an insult and an extra cost for hard-pressed commuters.
This exercise can only be seen as revenue-raising, rather than a genuine attempt to deal with overcrowding. Instead of using price differentiation to penalise workers, the Government should provide extra peak hour trams and liberalise the bus market to increase public transport capacity.
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