Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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514. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason services from a company (details supplied) are not covered by the free travel pass; whether there are plans to extend the free travel pass to this provider; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35508/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme.

The Free Travel Scheme is available to all persons aged over 66 and those under the age of 66 on certain qualified payments, who are living legally and permanently in the State. The scheme permits those who are eligible to travel for free on most CIE public transport services, Local Link, LUAS and a range of transport services offered by private transport operators countrywide.

The transport operator concerned made contact with my Department in 2020 in relation to bringing its Dublin Airport to Dublin City Centre route into the Free Travel scheme. Such requests by transport operators to join the free travel scheme are received periodically, with payment rates negotiated based on surveys of free travel usage. However, at that time, the continuing impact of Covid-19 measures and restrictions on transport service provision made any survey outcomes in that operating environment unlikely to reflect true free travel usage in more normal times.

In the first quarter of 2023, when surveys re-commenced following the end of the COVID 19 restrictions, my Department made contact with the transport operator concerned regarding the process involved in bringing the above named route into the scheme. My Department has not had any further engagement with this transport operator since.

Any private transport operator can apply to participate in the Free Travel scheme and can determine which routes they operate to include. However, there is no obligation on them to do so. Neither I, as Minister, nor the Department can require any private transport operator to participate in the scheme.

It is open to the transport operator to make contact with my officials in the Free Travel scheme area if they wish to participate in the scheme.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.