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27/09/2004
Free all-Ireland travel on cards for pensioners
Pensioners in Northern Ireland and the Republic will soon be able to travel on public transport across the whole of the island free of charge.
Irish Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Coughlan and NIO Minister John Spellar discussed the plan last Monday. It would see senior citizens in Northern Ireland with a Senior Smart Pass be able to travel for free within the Irish Republic, and vice versa.
Ms Coughlan said the new smart cards for pensioners could hold the key to "resolving many of the administrative difficulties in operating the proposed All-Ireland Free Travel scheme on both sides of the border".
"Minister Spellar and I agreed that it would be useful to ensure that the smart cards used for public transport and concessionary travel purposes are as compatible as possible to facilitate cross-border journeys," she said.
About 200,000 people in Northern Ireland are eligible for free travel however they must produce identification proving they are over 65 to qualify.
(MB/GMCG)
Irish Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Coughlan and NIO Minister John Spellar discussed the plan last Monday. It would see senior citizens in Northern Ireland with a Senior Smart Pass be able to travel for free within the Irish Republic, and vice versa.
Ms Coughlan said the new smart cards for pensioners could hold the key to "resolving many of the administrative difficulties in operating the proposed All-Ireland Free Travel scheme on both sides of the border".
"Minister Spellar and I agreed that it would be useful to ensure that the smart cards used for public transport and concessionary travel purposes are as compatible as possible to facilitate cross-border journeys," she said.
About 200,000 people in Northern Ireland are eligible for free travel however they must produce identification proving they are over 65 to qualify.
(MB/GMCG)
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