Full details are in the determination document, which is available here.
These fares apply from 1 December 2018, for the 2019 calendar year.
Monthly and annual ticket prices will be applied during November for tickets that will be used from December.
The Galway City Bus Fares page will be updated with this information shortly.
Bus Éireann city bus services
Distance-based fares to become operational
Higher fares for city-bus journeys longer than 7.5km were announced last year in the 2018 fare changes. So far, they have only been implemented on route 404 Oranmore. But this year's fare changes document says
that will change from 1 December 2018 when the distance based fares become fully operational
No guidelines has been provided about which specific journeys are longer than 7.5km, but research in 2017 showed that:
- Route 402 from Knocknacarra Church to Eyre Square is 7.3km
- Route 402 from Eyre Square to Merlin Park hospital is 6.2km.
- Route 401 from Eyre Square to Briarhill Business Park is 7.1km, and to Parkmore business parks is 7.7km
- Route 404
- From Newcastle to Eyre Square is 4.7km, and to Flannery's hotel is 7.7km.
- From Eyre Square to Galway Clinic is 6.4km
- From Galway Clinic to Oranmore astroturf is 4.8km
- From Oranmore SuperValu, via the astroturf to Galway clinic is 7.0km
- Route 405 from the Knocknacarra (B&Q) terminus to Mervue church is 7.5km.
- Route 407 from Eyre Square to the terminus at Bóthar an Choiste is 5.3km
- Route 409 from Eyre Square to Dunnes Stores Briarhill is 7.4km, and to Briarhill Business Park is 7.9km.
These distances were measured by tracing the routes on Google Maps - they are not official distances.
Fares paid with a Leap card - single journeys
- Adult fare goes from €1.61 to €1.68, in increase of 4.3% for journeys up to 7.5km
- Adult fare goes from €1.89 to €1.96, an increase of 3.7% for journeys over 7.5km: this is a 22% increase on journeys where the over 7.5km fare has not been applied before
- School-child stays at €0.77 for all journeys.
- Child fare goes from €0.91 to €0.98, an increase of 7.7% for journeys up to 7.5km
- Child fare goes from €1.12 to €1.19, an increase of 6.3% for journeys over 7.5km
Fares paid with cash - single journeys
- Adult fare goes from €2.30 to €2.40, in increase of 4.3% for journeys up to 7.5km
- Adult fare goes from €2.70 to €2.80, an increase of 3.7% for journeys over 7.5km: this is a 18% increase on journeys where the over 7.5km fare has not been applied before
- School-child stays at €1.10 for all journeys
- Child fare goes from €1.30 to €1.40, an increase of 7.7% for journeys up to 7.5k
- Child fare goes from €1.60 to €1.70 an increase of 6.2% for journeys over 7.5km
Day Passes
- Adult from €4.70 to €4.80, an increase of 2.1%.
- Child from €2.60 to €2.70, an increase of 3.8%
- Students: a new 24-hour ticket, for €4 (possibly available on Leap cards only)
Note:
- If these tickets are purchased from the driver using a Leap card then they are valid for 24 hours from the time of purchase.
- If they are purchased using cash, they are only valid for the calendar day
Weekly tickets
- Adult stays at €21.00
- Student from €16.70 to €16.80, a decrease of 0.6%
- Child from €9.50 to €9.80, an increase of 3.2%
Monthly tickets
- Adult from €74 to €74.50, an increase of 0.7%
- Student from €50 to €59.50, an increase of 0.8%
- Child from €35 to €36, an increase of 2.9%
Annual tickets (including Tax-saver)
- Adult: from €777 to €780, an increase of 0.4%
- There are no annual student or child fares.
The fare-increases document says that day, weekly, monthly and annual ticket prices are for the Red Zone - it does not make a distinction between journeys longer or shorter than 7.5km.
Bus Éireann regional and commuter buses
Leap cards will be accepted on all regional buses by mid 2018, and Leap fares will be 30% less than the cash fare for the journey.Some fares on regional bus services are changing: the amount depends on the distance travelled, and the type of ticket used.
- The difference between return and day-return fares will decrease, by increasing day-return fares by 2%, and reducing return fares by 2%.
- Adult single journeys up to 5km long will increase by the same amount as a city-zone short fare, ie 10c cash or 7c with a Leap card.
- Short distance 10 journey fares for adults and students reducing by up to 3.7%, and some longer-distance adult, student and child 10 journey fares increasing by up to 3%.
- Monthly ticket prices are to be 3.7 times the cost of a 10-journey ticket: this is an increase on some routes, and a decrease on others.
Other bus companies
The private companies providing city and regional bus services in Galway do not receive any Government subsidy, so their fares are not approved by the National Transport Authority, and have not been announced as yet.However some of them are likely to increase their fares at approximately the same time as Bus Éireann.
Iarnród Éireann / Irish Rail - train fare changes
Exact train fares are a good deal more difficult to state, because they are based on journey starting point and destination as well as the return ticket. Overall on inter-city services (the only trains that serve Galway):- Intercity express single fares for zone D(*) and longer are reduced by about 5%.
- Return fares on the expressway services increase by around 1.4%
- Weekly tickets will increase by between 0.8% and 1.9% with the average increase 1.4%.
- Economy day return .1 and 2 fares are merging
- Student single and return, express and economy fares purchased at ticket offices will increase by up to 13% - but such tickets purchsed on-line prior to travelling will no increase.
- Student and child monthly tickets will increase by an average of 1.5%, while monthly adult tickets will not increase.
(*) Fare zones for Galway train lines are based on the distancee between journey start and end points. They are summarised in the grids on these pages: