The free travel scheme operated by my Department is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years, or over, as well as certain incapacitated people under that age who are in receipt of certain social welfare type payments such as invalidity pension. The scheme provides free travel, primarily at off-peak periods, to eligible people on the main public and private transport services. Currently, about 470,000 people qualify for free travel at an estimated annual cost this year of some £32.6 million.
A spouse of a qualified person may also avil of the scheme if accompanied by the pass holder. However, the scheme is subject to time restrictions and capacity constraints and its provisions were never intended to extend to the dependent childrent of pass holders.
At the end of last year, there were some 12,713 people in receipt of invalidity pension from my Department who were claiming for both adult and child dependants. It is estimated that the extension of the free travel scheme to include the estimated 25,561 dependent children involved would entail additional annual costs of the order of £1.8 million. The cost of free travel for the adult dependants is already included in the figure of £32.6 million mentioned above.