Free Travel
General Qualification
Free travel is available for persons over 66 years of age. This is also available to incapacitated persons under 66 years who live in the State. It permits the use of public transport and a large number of private bus and ferry services free of charge. A spouse of a co-habitant may also travel.
Qualification is based on living permanently in the State being over 66 years or being under 66 years and in receipt of invalidity, blind pension or disability allowance, carer’s allowance Social Security and Invalidity payments for at least 12 months from another EU state, workman’s compensation or disablement benefit.
A person may qualify for free travel if he lives in HSE approved residential care and was previously obtaining Disability Allowance or would satisfy medical conditions for disability allowance or is the specified carer for a person getting constant attendance allowance or prescribed relative allowance.
Survivor 60+ Years
A widow, a widower or  civil partner aged 60 to 65 years of a late spouse or civil partner who held a free travel pass may be entitled to a single free travel pass in his or her own right. To qualify he must have been permanently living with a late spouse or civil partner and must be getting one of the following benefits and satisfy other conditions
- widows or widowers contributory or non-contributory pension
- state pension transition
- one parent family payment
- widow widower civil or civil partner’s pension under occupation injuries benefit scheme.
- similar social welfare scheme in the EU
- Garda Widow Pension
Services Covered
Free travel is allowed on scheduled road and rail services or Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann, Iarnrod Eireann, Luas and certain private bus and ferry services. Nitelink and special Dublin airport service is excluded. Iarnrod Eireann includes Dart, Mainline and Suburban services; .
Holders of a travel pass may take cross-border journeys to Northern Ireland. The all-island free travel scheme gives entitlement services operating within Northern Ireland. A person must be supplied with a senior smart passcard.
Free Travel Companion
A free travel companion card may be available for pass-holders who satisfy one or more of the following conditions.
- aged 66 to 69 and medically assessed as unfit to travel alone
- age 70 and over and medically assessed as unfit to travel alone
- receiving full-time care and attention from a person receiving carer’s allowance
- certified by the Irish Wheelchair Association or doctor as being a permanent wheelchair user.
- blind or severely eyesight  impaired and satisfies certain conditions
Persons under 66 may also be entitled to a free travel pass for a companion. In broad terms, he / she  must be
- in receipt of this disability, invalidity or disablement type pensions
- live in HSE approved residential care
- be blind or severely dight impaired
- be a permanent wheelchair user receiving fulltime care and attention.
In the first two cases, the person must be medically assessed as unfit to travel alone.
Blind Persons
A visually impaired child may qualify for a free travel companion pass,  if he is  under 18 years  and satisfy the blindness condition for a blind pension and is registered with the National Council for the Blind or National League of the Blind of Ireland.
Persons under 66 years  may qualify if he is in receipt of invalidity pension, blind pension, incapacity supplement for 12 months, disability allowance or equivalent invalidity payments from an EU state.