Ministers welcome launch of free travel for under 9s

Ministers at the Department of Transport have welcomed today’s launch of the new TFI Child Leap Card, extending free travel on all TFI services to children between 5 to 8 years of age.

The card, available through leapcard.ie, will expand free travel to almost quarter of a million children across Ireland, building upon existing free travel on public transport for children under 5 years of age.

This measure was announced as part of the Budget 2025 package of measures and delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to make public transport more affordable and accessible for families.

Welcoming the launch, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien said:

“This expansion will benefit almost 236,000 additional children and their families by providing free travel for under-9s, while also laying the foundations for lifelong sustainable travel habits. From an early age, children will grow accustomed to using buses, trains, and trams as a natural part of daily life. The scheme marks an important step towards a fairer, more inclusive public transport system. As the NTA continues implementing its National Fares Determination Strategy, this initiative builds on a range of measures designed to ensure that all passenger groups can benefit equally from our public transport network.”

Minister of State with responsibility for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports, Séan Canney, also welcomed this initiative:

“Free travel for children aged 5 to 8 will ease the burden for families and make transport more accessible. This policy is part of a broader Government strategy to make public transport more affordable and reduce congestion across the country, but it’s also about giving the next generation the confidence to see public transport as their natural first choice.”

Minister of State with responsibility for Rural Transport, Jerry Buttimer added:

“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.”

Families will be able to apply for the card from today, via the online portal at leapcard.ie