Major boost for all Irish parents as new free public transport scheme revealed
IRISH parents are set for a big boost as a new scheme that will allow children under 9 to travel free on public transport has been revealed.
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Public transport for children under nine is set to be free
Credit: Alamy
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It was announced by Minister of State Sean Canney today
Credit: James Connolly
Part of Budget 2025, the initiative was announced during a Dáil Éireann session today and is now being developed by the National Transport Authority.
And it is set to be rolled out in the third quarter of the year.
It means that
The aim is to ease pressure on household budgets, make transport more accessible and build long-term habits among young children for choosing buses, trains over cars.
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Minister of State Seán Canney confirmed in the Dáil that the work is underway and said that he will follow up once a specific date is finalised.
He added that the policy is part of a broader government strategy to make public transport more affordable and reduce
He said: "The National Transport Authority has statutory responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation, PSO, contracts.
"Under the programme for Government, our commitments include the roll-out of contactless payments, keeping fares affordable and examining the further expansion of free public transport for children.
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"Specifically, budget 2025 included a measure to extend free child fares on PSO services to children aged five to eight years old.
"The NTA is working to develop and implement this change, with the new scheme expected to launch in quarter 3 of this year.
"This targeted initiative is designed to help with the cost of living for families and to encourage children to start using public transport from an early age."
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He also flagged an issue raised by the
While ID checks are currently rare on public transport for children, he said that introducing a requirement could add complications to the scheme.
He said: "As we have discussed, in budget 2025 which was announced last October my colleague the then Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, secured funding to roll out free public transport across our public transport network for children aged under nine.
"This initiative had a number of purposes. It was aimed at reducing congestion by providing commuters with a cheaper alternative. It was also built around creating the habit of using public transport among young children.
"Very importantly, in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis it was designed to save commuters money."
The cost of implementing the measure is estimated at around €8million.
The initiative builds on earlier public transport fare reduction schemes such the 20 per cent cut in 2023, the young adult Leap card and most recently the introduction of the new
The Short Hop Zone has now been replaced by the new Dublin Commuter Zone which has expanded to 50 kilometres from the city.
This updated zone is split into Dublin City Zone 1, and Zones 2, 3 and 4 - which are determined by their
Journeys to and from Dublin Commuter Zones 3 and 4 have seen reduced fares - from places like Drogheda, Laytown, Enfield, Newbridge, Kildare,
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