Free Travel

Wayne O'Reilly, Minister Heather Humphreys and Lisa Whelan holding placards in Bus Aras encouraging people to apply for Free Tracel

The issue we were campaigning on regarding the expansion of the Free Travel scheme in Ireland has now been resolved. However, on this page you can find a brief overview of what we campaigned for and our work in resolving this issue.  (Information on how to apply is further explained on the 'About the Expanded Scheme' section below or click the button below)

Visit Gov.ie for more details on applying

Background to this issue

Historically, the Free Travel scheme was only accessible through other Department of Social Protection payments such as Disability Allowance and Invalidity Pension. Due to the nature of epilepsy, a person who experiences seizures will often be faced with driving restrictions. Almost all new diagnoses of epilepsy are accompanied by being unable to drive until a person becomes seizure free for at least one year. In addition, if a person has a breakthrough seizure when holding a driving license, they must remain off the road until they become seizure free for at least one year once more.

Furthermore, there are people with epilepsy whose seizures will never be fully under control and they will continue to have regular seizures – meaning that they will never be able to drive.

While some people with epilepsy could and can qualify for Invalidity Pension/Disability Allowance owing to the nature of their individual condition, the vast majority would not owing to the fact that they might be working and might not meet the means test or their condition did not meet the strict medical criteria for these schemes. This therefore meant that they could not access the Free Travel scheme to help ease some of the burden that driving restrictions can create.

What did we want?

Through our years of serving the entire epilepsy community, we know that driving restrictions as a result of epilepsy can be one of the most challenging aspects of living with the condition. Therefore, we wanted the Free Travel scheme to be uncoupled from other payments so that people with epilepsy who were faced with driving restrictions due to their condition could apply directly to the Department to avail of the benefit. We wanted this to be put in place as we felt that it would be something that could help ease the unique accessibility challenges which can face people with epilepsy in such a situation and would help aid them be socially active and maintain employment.

What did Epilepsy Ireland do?

Throughout the years, we raised this issue at all levels of government. The matter was raised over the years by many TDs and Senators via Parliamentary Questions and Oral Questions; under commencement matters in the Seanad; local Councillors from across the country passed motions in support of our campaign; submissions were made in advance of budgets and to the Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection; and meetings took place between Epilepsy Ireland and the Minister for Social Protection and her senior officials.

All of the above was amplified even further by our members and volunteers raising the matter with their local councillors, TDs and Senators.

These efforts led to unwavering support for our proposals, including from Minister Heather Humphreys – the Minister for Social Protection who oversees the Department responsible for the Free Travel scheme – and in Budget 2024, she secured a commitment to expand the Free Travel scheme “to provide free travel for people medically certified unfit to drive."

What was announced in Budget 2024 was essentially what Epilepsy Ireland had been campaigning for and in announcing the change, the Minister acknowledged our work in securing this, commenting:

I am particularly pleased to expand my Department's Free Travel Pass to support people who are medically certified as unable to drive. I want to acknowledge the work of Epilepsy Ireland who I have engaged with over the last two years on this matter. This is a small change but it will make a big difference.

About the expanded scheme

In May of 2024, the expanded scheme as advocated for by Epilepsy Ireland was officially opened for applications. The key points of the expanded scheme are as follows:

  • For people aged 17-66 and deemed medically unfit to drive for at least one year
  • There is no means test attached to the new Free Travel scheme
  • The form simply requires a person’s GP to certify that they are unable to drive for at least one year – although they can, there is no requirement for specialist sign off
  • The Department of Social Protection estimate that up to 32,000 people across Ireland could benefit from these changes secured by Epilepsy Ireland
  • The scheme was announced to come into effect from the 29th July and will be in place on a permanent basis going forward

For more information on eligibility criteria and how to apply, visit the Gov.ie website via the button below. The application form is also available to read and download at the end of this article.

Visit Gov.ie for more details on applying

Conclusion

With the opening of applications for the scheme in May 2024 and the newly expanded scheme coming into effect in July, this has brought an end to one of the most longstanding issues which has been consistently raised with us by people with epilepsy and their families over the years. We are delighted to have achieved and secured such a positive change for our community, and indeed, for other people with long term health conditions or disabilities who may be affected by driving restrictions.

Achieving this result would not have been possible without the support of our members and volunteers, who shared their stories of the impact of this issue and raised this matter with their local TDs and Senators at every opportunity. A huge thank you to everyone involved in helping us secure this significant change for the entire epilepsy community – with a particular word of thanks to all TDs and Senators who raised this over the years and to Minister Heather Humphreys for her commitment to making this change happen.

News Updates on this Issue

The below are some of the updates on this matter as it progressed and associated articles in the news section of our website and some associated press coverage where you can read more. 

Downloadable Resources
Free Travel Application Form - Medically Unfit to Drive_0.pdf
Epilepsy Ireland Budget Proposals - Free Travel