Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It could be an optional arrangement. There is a similar option with the household benefits packages. People can tick certain boxes and so on. Again, the cost of administration would have to be weighed up. Anyway, I have long held the view that it could be an option for someone who might wish to choose it.

There is concern over abuse. I have spoken to bus drivers and people working not only in Bus Éireann but across the board in Irish Rail. They are concerned about flagrant abuse of the system. They cannot clamp down on it because they do not have the mechanisms. I gather that only three Revenue inspectors are in place nationwide to work with Bus Éireann. Is that correct? Three officials oversee and implement the free travel scheme. There are 1.2 million cardholders. That corresponds to 400,000 cardholders per inspector.