Photos on all passes would be a great idea. As I understand it, only those issued in Dublin (and other cities?) have photos – I’m in Mayo and we certainly don’t have them.

I doubt that even Joan Burton knows how many people are actually on the Free Travel Scheme. It is a widely abused scheme and is in dire need of an overhaul.

Of course she does, her free car and driver are very important.

Thanks Denise, I allways believe in working when I was in America they said the Irish was great workers. so I lived up to that. I never claimed the dole in my life or any handouts and I dont want the pension till im 80 if I last that long.

i read somewhere yesterday they were going to means test elderly people with passes just wondering how exactly would this be done? like everyone has their passes at the moment, so if they decided some people werent entitled to them how would they get them back? you can bet people wont willingly send them back and will just say oh yeah i sent it you just mus not of got it. This would then potentially mean a whole overhaul and issuing new (and different to the current ones) travel passes, when you take the labour and resources that would take/cost would it be worth it for the minority that dont deserve it.

The pass comes with a plastic id that is suposed to be shown in conjunction. This pass and id must match in order to gain free travel. As a bus driver i would check as they pass me , it may look to some that we are just waving them on but we are checking them.
A lot of people have been issued these passes and then when they returned to work or no longer in need of assistance have kept the pass and abuse it. We can not refuse anyone with a pass as we dont issue or police them , that rests with the SW. Their is wide spread abuse of the pass and i would be more in favour of a flat rate fare instead .

The OAPs in the pub where I work think the travel pass is great. They cant be without it, some of them travel around Ireland to see relatives but it cant be used till after 9-30am.

Burton should try using free travel instead of claiming tens of thousands on traveling expenses

Is this the same ‘ free travel’ Fidelma Healy Eames enjoys ???

Of course she values it. She’s probably not far off the age of qualifying for a free travel pass herself. It’d be turkeys voting for Christmas if she took it away. ;-)

free travel ! what for ! you should earn your travel !

The free travel scheme should be scrapped. I know four people who have the free travel (thanks to us taxpayers) and each one of them can well afford to pay the full fare. It is a luxury that the country can no longer sustain.

@ Richard Lennon ,Well done on all the work you do in that pub.Your a credit to your parents paying your way in society and paying all the tax to help the unemployed. We need more people like you in Ireland a big thank you.