Where the money REALLY goes

Did anyone else notice on page 6 of the Metro today (got it in Dublin).

Heading 1: Fares for Luas and Dart go up
Heading 2: Up to 3% pay rise (for civil and public service)

Is that not too much of a coincidence??

I honestly don't know how they can justify the raising of prices of the Luas and Dart when there has been no improving of the service that I can see. They are also raising the prices of Intercity trains. If they really are keen on getting more people using public transport then:

1) Increse the number of services and expect a loss in the first few years (do Irish Rail and Bus Eireann make a profit? If so, why? Surely they should just be a cost centre)
2) Lower the prices to make it more attractive for people to travel on public transport
3) Have more park and ride facilities
4) Maybe, and this is a novel idea, solicit people to see what they NEED.
5) Remove this stupid idea of having to get a CIE photo ID to buy monthly tickets. Why can't a drivers license or passport be enough?

I think the prices for the dart service are already over priced. To give an idea, I get a weekly return ticket from Raheny to Sydney Parade (about a 20 min train journey depending on the way the driver is feeling and the number of leaves on the track). This weekly ticket costs €16.50 and is going to go up. Yup, €16.50 for a max of 14 train journeys.

Now, in Sydney for $35 you get 7 days unlimited use of bus, rail and ferries within certain zones of the city. The zones for this ticket cover nearly everything you will need. Which seems the more value for money? Consider also that the trains in Sydney run AFTER midnight and at weekends trains are pretty much 24x7.

We in this country just bend over and take it.

The shee-ite heads that run public transport need to be beaten but I will make one more statement:

We will NEVER have a decent public transport system or health service while Unions are involved.