Two Cork bus routes top league for public transport fare dodgers

Bus Éireann which operates a range of subsidised routes including commuter and city bus services in Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Waterford and several large towns as well as commuter services in the greater Dublin region, had evasion rates of approximately 5%. File picture: Denis Minihane

More than €20m was lost in revenue on public transport services last year due to fare dodgers, with passengers on two Cork bus routes among the biggest culprits, according to estimates by transport regulatory bodies.

Figures released under freedom of information legislation by the National Transport Authority (NTA) show the highest fare evasion rates in 2024 were on Dart and commuter rail services with 6.9% of passengers not having a valid ticket for their journey.