Northern Ireland over 60's 'free' travel pass applicants to pay £20 for access

Applicants for a "free" travel pass in Northern Ireland will now be required to pay to access the scheme. Those over 60 can apply for a Translink SmartPass, which entitles you to free travel on any bus or rail service in Northern Ireland.

However, those applying for "free" travel passes will now be subject to an application fee, which is expected to be about £20 for those aged 60 to 64. It comes as Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd said he wanted to protect concessionary fares - which is why the application fee is being introduced.

Application fees for the Senior SmartPass, for those over 65, which provides free travel on bus and rail services in Northern Ireland, cross-border, and internal Republic of Ireland travel, will be priced at a reduced fee of £12. The fee for both the 60+ SmartPass and Senior SmartPass will be a one-time fee and will be introduced in the autumn.

Read more: Translink announce fare increases for bus and rail passengers

Read more: Belfast park reopens following £1.7m redevelopment inspired by maritime heritage

A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure said: "To help protect the Scheme and manage costs, an application fee for 60-64 year olds and first-time applicants over 65, will be introduced in Autumn this year.

"At this stage it is anticipated that the fee for 60-64 year olds will be around £20, with a reduced fee of around £12 for Senior SmartPass applicants (those over 65), and will cover the duration of the pass. The application fee will not apply to disability-related SmartPasses."

Older people make up approximately 20% of Metro passengers, 16% of Northern Ireland Railways passengers, and 13% of Ulsterbus passengers. This equates to an overall 16% of Translink's normal 84 million passenger journeys.

SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan has welcomed the maintaining of free public transport for over 60s, but has lamented the Executive's "failure to invest in public transport." Earlier this month, Translink announced its third fare increase within the last 15 months.

He said: "The retention of the over 60s SmartPass is welcome news, though I can't help but feel it should have been made sooner, given the clear indications leading up to this point. It is great to see people power in action and I thank everyone who responded to the consultation.

"First and foremost, the purpose of the Concessionary Fare Scheme is to promote accessible public transport- this will of course do just that and encourage more people out of their cars and on to our buses and trains. However, this is just a fraction of shift in gear that's needed. Translink have been forced to increase fares for others, pricing people out of public transport as a direct result of a complete lack of investment from the Executive.

"Not only is the public footing the bill for their failure but it’s completely counterintuitive to the aim of encouraging people to use more sustainable modes of transport. At the same time governments in other jurisdictions are driving investment towards public transport and passing on savings to passengers.

“If the Executive is serious about tackling the climate emergency, steps must be taken to make cleaner modes of transport a more accessible, affordable option for everyone."

The Infrastructure Minister said he is committed to prioritising essential front-line services and addressing regional imbalance as an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA), a report setting out the impact of the Assembly's budget on spending in his department was published.

Mr O'Dowd has also reiterated his commitment to ringfencing funding for a number of other projects including Coleraine to Derry rail improvements and investing in the A5.

John O’Dowd said: “Years of underfunding and austerity by the British Government mean these are challenging times for all departments, and Infrastructure is no different. I will be looking towards the June monitoring round and will continue to work with Executive colleagues to explore all avenues of investment but, for now, I am focusing on protecting essential services, delivering positive change and addressing regional imbalance.

“As a department, we have had to critically examine all aspects of spend. We have taken and will continue to take difficult decisions to prioritise what we can deliver within our budget envelope, which means to protect concessionary fares a nominal fee will be introduced for first time applicants and 60-64 year olds applying for a Smartpass.”

From the Department for Infrastructure's budget allocation for 2024-25, Translink will get £245.8m, which includes £80m ring-fenced for the Belfast Transport Hub, £6.4m EU peace plus funding for the Enterprise replacements and £4.7m ring-fenced for Coleraine to Derry~Londonderry Track Renewal.

NI Water will receive £137.7m resource and £323.6m capital plus a ring-fenced amount of £875k for EU Peace Plus projects. All allocations are indicative at this stage and will be confirmed or amended upon consideration of the EQIA.

Minister O'Dowd added: “I encourage everyone to provide their comments to the EQIA. Getting infrastructure right can deliver real benefits for our citizens, communities and the economy.

"I am working with my officials on a clear prioritisation of schemes over the next two years, which will put the department on a steady footing to make the best possible use of our resources to make a positive difference for all of our citizens.”

The consultation period on 6 September 2024. The link to the consultation is here.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.