Newly Extended Free Travel Scheme effective from today!

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Síomha Connolly using her new FT card in Connolly station

Media Statement from Department of Social Protection

The Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, today met with the first people to avail of the new Free Travel Pass for persons medically unable to drive.

From this week, the Free Travel Scheme is being extended to people who have never been able to drive due to a disability, and to drivers who have a licence and are medically certified as not fit to drive for a period of 12 months or longer.

It is the first time a Free Travel Pass has been available to persons not in receipt of a Pension or qualifying Social Welfare Payment.

This measure was secured by Minister Humphreys as part of Budget 2024.

The scheme allows eligible people to access free travel on all public transport provided by the State. This includes bus, rail, Local Link and the Luas, along with some services operated by private bus and ferry transport operators.

As she met the first user of the New Free Travel Pass at Connolly Station, Minister Humphreys said:

 

I’m delighted to introduce the new Free Travel Pass for people medically unable to drive.

This will benefit people with a range of disabilities and conditions which means they are unable to drive. It will give people more independence so they can commute to work and go about their daily lives without having to worry about additional transport costs or relying on somebody else to give them a lift.

I was delighted to work closely with Epilepsy Ireland on this measure and I want to commend them for their efforts in highlighting the importance of this new policy which will benefit not just people with epilepsy but any person who is medically unable to drive.

The first user of the new Free Travel Pass, Síomha Connolly, commented:

On my 21st birthday in May 2012, I was gifted driving lessons and in June 2012, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. Those lessons remained unused as I have never been seizure-free long enough to begin driving. Being medically barred from driving is difficult to comprehend until you are in that position.

It can impact on all aspects of life as you rely heavily on public transport and the kindness of friends and family to get around. No-one wants to have epilepsy and to be in this situation, so not being able to access the support of Free Travel – when my medical condition prevented me from driving – never made sense to me and many others like me.

I am so glad that the difficulties this can cause has been recognised through the extension of the scheme. It will be of benefit to me and many others who have additional transport costs due to their long-term health conditions and will help reduce the dependence on others to live your life.

Paddy McGeoghegan, Advocacy & Communications Manager at Epilepsy Ireland, commented:

Today marks the end of what has been a longstanding campaign by Epilepsy Ireland. Over the past few weeks, it has been heartening to receive messages from people with epilepsy who have received their approval for the extended scheme, telling us how much this new measure means to them and how it will help navigate some of the challenges that present due to driving restrictions. It is a measure that extends far beyond the epilepsy community as well and will assist thousands of others who may experience driving restrictions due to a medical condition or disability.

We are delighted to see the new scheme officially in place and would like to once again thank Minister Humphreys for her leadership and commitment to delivering this important change.

ENDS

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