Government considers road toll rise and withdrawal of airport funding

Transport Minister Leo Varadkar has said today that an increase in road tolls is being considered.

Minister Varadkar, who appeared at the Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport today, said that no official decision has yet been made.

He also wants the funding of regional airports phased out completely due to the scarce Exchequer resources.

State support is being removed from Sligo and Galway airports next year, but Minister Varadkar now wants funding for the remaining four regional airports eventually phased out completely.

He also wants CIE, which runs Irish Rail, Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus, to cut costs by between 7-8%, without reducing services or increasing fares.

The Minister says the long-awaited integrated ticketing system will be finally rolled out in the coming months.