Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts.

The Government recently confirmed its commitment to improving public transport under the new Programme for Government (PFG)- Securing Ireland’s Future and is backing up that commitment with significant investments across the bus and rail network. Specifically included in the PFG are commitments to:

• Roll out contactless fare payments on all public transport and keep fares low and affordable; and
• Examine the further expansion of free public transport for children.

Budget 2025 included funding for the continuation of public transport fare initiatives including the 90-minute fare, the Young Adult (YAC)/Student Leap Card, and the discounted fares on PSO services, with further provision to extend child fares to include those ages 5-8 years of age.

It is my understanding that third level students can avail of the 50% YAC/Student Leap reduction on cross-border routes, assuming that the origin of the journey and the third level institution are both in the South. Third level students travelling from the South to third level institutions in Northern Ireland can avail of this 50% reduction on the proportion of the journey carried out in the South. This means, for example, if 90% of the journey is through the South and the remaining 10% is through Northern Ireland, then the 50% discount will just apply to the 90% of the journey that is carried out within the State. The discount does not apply to the element of the journey that is carried out outside of the State.

It is also important to note that the Young Adult Card initiative is an opt-in Scheme, meaning that while the discount is available on all PSO services, it is only available on those commercial bus operators that have decided to participate in the Scheme.