Free Travel Pass Extended
Green Party TD for Waterford Marc Ó Cathasaigh has welcomed the extension of the Free Travel Pass to persons medically unable to drive as a ‘small kind measure that will make a big difference to those who need it.’
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.
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.
Dep. Ó Cathasaigh has been advocating for this measure to be introduced in his role as the Green Party’s spokesperson on Social Protection.
‘I first met with Epilepsy Ireland about this proposal ahead of preparations for the Budget in 2022. I brought it idea to the Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection, of which I’m the vice-chair, and we included it in our own pre-budget submission. Min. Humphries, to her credit, picked up the suggestion and ran with it, and this week has seen the first travel passes issued.’
‘The Greens in government has made a real difference in making public transport work for people. That means substantially improved services on established routes like the 360 between Waterford and Tramore, new Local Link routes all across rural Co. Waterford, later train services to and from Dublin. It also means improved access for people to those services, with lower fares, particularly for young people, availability of Leap Cards for post offices and now this very welcome expansion of the Free Travel Pass.’
Commenting on the expansion of the scheme, 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.’
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.’
