Free travel for children extended to under 9s in Longford to 'alleviate financial burden'

All children under the age of nine can now travel on public transport for free and it will extend free travel in Longford to all public transport services.

Up until now only kids under the age of five were able to avail of travelling on public transport without paying.

Longford TD Micheál Carrigy said the new updated TFI Leap Card, available through leapcard.ie, will expand free travel to also include children between five and eight increasing the number who will benefit to almost 236,000 kids across Ireland.

Deputy Carrigy stated it will build upon the measures that were alraedy in place,

The measure was announced as part of the Budget 2025 package of measures and Deputy Carrigy said it is a key Fine Gael delivery on the Programme for Government commitment to make public transport more affordable and accessible for families.

“It is fantastic to see this being rolled out in Longford. Fine Gael are committed to alleviating the financial burden associated with transport costs to parents,” he said.

“Fine Gael are all about putting money back in your pocket. I would urge all Longford residents to apply now for their eligible children.”

Minister of State with responsibility for Rural Transport, Jerry Buttimer TD said: “I am delighted to see that the expansion of this scheme will support almost a quarter of a million more children and their families by providing access to free travel for under 9s, it also lays foundations for lifelong habits of sustainable travel.

“From an early age, children will become more familiar with using buses, trains, and trams as a natural part of daily life.

Minister Buttimer said this scheme represents a significant step towards a more fair and inclusive public transport system.

"As the NTA continues to roll out its National Fares Determination Strategy, this initiative builds on a series of measures designed to ensure that different passenger cohorts can benefit equally from our public transport offerings.

“Parents juggling school runs or weekend trips into town will now see the benefits of free travel for young children. Importantly, it applies across all TFI services, including Local Link and services under Connecting Ireland, that are the backbone of connectivity for so many rural communities.

"This step ensures that families, whether in cities, towns, or villages, can access public transport offerings as part of daily life. This is Fine Gael delivering in Government, as we said we would.”

For more information and to apply for a child leap card, visit leapcard.ie

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