Senior Citizens l War Pensioners l Blind Persons l Free Travel in ROI l Half-fare Concession Pass l Full-time Students l 16-21 Rail Discount Card l Jobseeker/Gateway
Free travel for 65 , War Pensioners and Blind Persons.
Senior Citizens
Eligible Persons: All men and women 65 years of age or over, who are residents in Northern Ireland, for 3 months or more, and are in possession of a Senior SmartPass are entitled to free travel within Northern Ireland. You can also enjoy free cross border travel. This scheme is paid for by the Department for Regional Development. Smartpasses are issued free of charge. Application forms are available from any main bus or rail station to residents of Northern Ireland who are in receipt of a National Insurance retirement pension. Completed applications should be taken to any main bus or rail station along with proof of residency and a passport sized colour photograph only. Your details will be processed and your new pass will be posted out to you within four weeks of your application or a week before your 65th birthday.
SmartPasses are only valid for five years and those issued at the outset in 2002 will begin to expire during 2007 and onwards. Please check the expiry date on the front of your SmartPass to determine when it will expire as it cannot be used to obtain free travel after this date.
Approximately three months before each SmartPass expires the Department for Regional Development will write to pass holders explaining how to get a new pass. A dedicated user helpline has also been set up on 0845 600 0049 for those seeking further information.
Eligible Persons: Free travel concessions are available to holders of a war disablement pension, who are under the age of 65 and who are resident in Northern Ireland for at least 3 months. To enjoy free travel, pension holders must be in possession of a SmartPass.
Application forms are available from The SmartPass Office, 3 Milewater Road, Belfast, BT3 9BG, Tel: 028 9035 1201. Applicants should bring the completed application form to any main bus or rail station along with a War Disablement Pension Book or if you do not have a pension book, you must bring an official letter from the War Disablement Agency.
The free travel concession applies to all persons resident in Northern Ireland who are on the register of Blind Persons held by the local offices of the Health & Social Services Boards. Registered Blind persons must be in possession of a Smartpass to obtain free travel.
Application forms can be obtained from the Health & Social Services Trust with which you are registered blind.
Free travel in the Republic of Ireland
Under the Department of Social Welfare free travel scheme senior citizens, war pensioners and blind persons resident in Northern Ireland are also entitled to free cross border bus or rail travel from any point in the Republic of Ireland.
Republic of Ireland Senior Citizens who are in possession of a valid working ROI Senior Smartpass will be entitled to travel free of charge on all Translink bus and rail services within Northern Ireland.
Senior Citizens who cannot present a ROI Senior Smartpass or a pre-obtained cross border ticket for their journey must pay a full Adult fare for their journey.
The Department for Regional Development has extended the Northern Ireland Concessionary Fare Scheme to include an additional four categories. On presentation of your Half-Fare SmartPass you will be entitled to a 50% reduction off the standard adult single fare on scheduled bus and rail services operating within Northern Ireland.
The four categories are as follows:
Application forms are available at the main bus and rail stations, Social Security Offices, Health & Social Services Trusts and Driving & Vehicle Licensing NI.
Full-time Students: A student on a full time course or fulltime professional training in Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland or Great Britain can obtain a Translink Student Discount Card costing £7. They are also available to school pupils in full-time education from the age of 16. Part-time, evening students and apprentices are not eligible.
They entitle the holder to purchase reduced fares on scheduled Translink services throughout the Ulsterbus and NIRailways network. Application forms for the Translink Student Discount Card can be obtained from main bus and rail stations.
16-21 Rail Discount Card: Passengers aged 16-21 years must be in possession of a 16-21 Rail Discount Card in order to receive discounts on weekly and monthly rail season tickets. The cards cost £7 and application forms are available at all main rail stations.
Jobseeker/Gateway: Reduced bus and rail fares are available to any person currently unemployed and actively seeking employment, or to any person on the Gateway period of the New Deal Initiative on production of an authenticated permit and JS40.
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