PEOPLE UNDER THE age of 26 will now be eligible for reduced public transport fares, under measures announced this afternoon.

The measures were announced in the Dáil this afternoon by Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe as part of Budget 2024.

Previously, the Young Adult Leap Card was only available for people up to the age of 23. The card entitles young people to 50% off public transport fees.

This has now been extended to 23- and 24-year-olds.

As well as this, a 20% reduction in public transport fares – first announced in June 2022, and extended in last year’s Budget – will be further extended until the end of next year.

However, no further cuts to fares have been announced. 

In total, Donohoe said that €3.5 billion had been allocated to the Department of Transport for Budget 2024. This equates to €892 million in current and €2.7 billion in capital funding.

Of this, €1.2 billion will go maintaining and investing in the road system. With a total of €937 million going towards renewal and protection of the system, and €200 million going towards the development of new roads projects.

Additional transport measures

There will be a number of other measures, initiatives and investments supported by this funding. Among other measures, these include:

• €360 million for walking and cycling infrastructure projects through the Active Travel and Greenways Programmes
• The purchase of 70 new double-deck electric buses for Dublin, along with 101 additional buses for Cork, Galway and Limerick
• The protection and renewal of the heavy rail network as well as bus/rail fleet renewals and station upgrades
• The implementation of BusConnects Dublin
• The movement to the next phase of the Metrolink
• €21 million ringfenced for road safety

Commenting on the Budget today, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said that the reduced fares for younger people now made Ireland “one of the most cost effective countries in Europe to travel as a young person”.

“We have also secured a commitment to review transport fares for under 18s and my ambition is that we can move towards zero cost travel for children and teenagers in 2025,” he said.

You can find full details of today’s Budget announcement in our roundup here.