Workers remain wedded to the car

A new survey also shows very little difference in average journey times for workers living in Dublin and outside the capital.

Some 26pc of workers living outside the city say they spend more than 90 minutes a day getting to and from work, compared with 24pc living in Dublin.

In a stark finding for transport planners, there remains a marked reluctance to switch to public transport, either because of a lack of services or because workers just won't give up their cars.

Some 64pc of adults aged between 20 and 49 years say they are "heavily reliant" on their cars, with just 15pc using the bus, train, Dart or Luas on a regular basis.

It is followed by 8pc who travel as a passenger in a car, 8pc who walk and 4pc who cycle.

The details were revealed in an online survey of 978 adults aged 20-49 years conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes last December, before public transport fare hikes were introduced.

It also found that older men and women aged 40 to 49 years were the most likely to drive, with 76pc saying this was their preferred mode of transport.

Younger workers aged 20 to 29 years were most likely to use public transport (21pc) or walk (12pc),

Unsurprisingly, 77pc of workers living outside Dublin said they drove, compared with 38pc living in the city.