Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is fantastic news. I am very pleased to hear that. I thank the Minister for that positive response. I agree with him that this has been a very positive scheme. It is fantastic that it is being improved, expanded and extended all the time. Right now, 18-year-old students are not eligible for either the Leap card for 19- to 24-year-olds or the student Leap card. Therefore, they have to get a child ticket. If they are, for example, travelling from Drogheda to Dublin to attend college, then they are paying double the fee of their 19-year-old classmate because a child's single fare on that route is €10 versus €5 under the new discounted Leap card for 19- to 24-year-olds. That is double the price. It is an anomaly, it is not fair and it is not in the spirit of what the Minister introduced in order to reduce the dependency on cars, to change people's behaviours and to help students deal with the cost of living.

I welcome the Minister's answer that this is an anomaly he and the NTA are committed to fixing. Can the Minister give any more clarity on the timeframe and what the next steps are? That would be very helpful.

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