Ireland is expanding free public transport access to all children under nine years old from Wednesday, extending the benefit to an additional 236,000 youngsters aged five to eight.
The initiative fulfills a commitment made in last year’s budget and means children can now travel free across all Transport for Ireland services using a TFI child leap card. Coverage includes Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Go-Ahead Ireland, Local Link services, Luas trams, DART, commuter rail, and Cork’s suburban rail lines.
The scheme also applies to participating private operators including Ashbourne Connect, City Direct, Matthews Coaches, and Wexford Bus, broadening accessibility for families nationwide.
Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien emphasized the policy’s long-term benefits, suggesting it will “lay the foundations for lifelong sustainable travel habits” by accustoming children to public transport from an early age.
“From an early age, children will grow accustomed to using buses, trains, and trams as a natural part of daily life,” O’Brien said, describing the expansion as “an important step towards a fairer, more inclusive public transport system.”
Minister of State Seán Canney highlighted how the decision will “ease the burden for families” while making transport more accessible across communities.
The expansion builds on free travel for under-fives introduced in 2017. Ireland’s current government programme commits to examining further expansion of children’s free transport and adding 100,000 additional students to school transport services by 2030.
The National Transport Authority continues implementing its national fares strategy, with this initiative forming part of broader measures ensuring equal access to Ireland’s public transport network.