Pensioners to get All-Ireland travel pass

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will today present the first pensioners to use the new All-Ireland free travel scheme with their bus passes.

Tens of thousands of senior citizens will have unrestricted use of bus and rail services throughout the island without charge under the scheme.

The first to benefit from the historic arrangement between transport providers in the North and the south get their electronic Senior Smartpass cards today.

Mr Ahern will mark the occasion at Bus Aras in Dublin at 3.45pm when the qualifying passengers get off a Bus Éireann coach to board one of the Ulsterbus fleet.

Some 430,000 people aged 66 year or over, are in receipt of free travel in the south.

In the North, some 200,000 senior citizens qualify under the Concessionary Fares Scheme.

Pat Carey, Dublin North West TD and co-chair of the British Irish Inter-parliamentary party, said the scheme will mean access all areas for older people.

“The new scheme will allow older people to travel free of charge on all bus and rail services in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“Older people in Northern Ireland will also travel free on bus, rail, air and ferry services participating in the Free Travel scheme in the Republic.”

He added: “It is my hope that people make the most of this great opportunity to travel with ease around the country.”