153. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport when free travel for children under nine years will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42157/24]

Under Budget 2025, funding has been allocated to the Department of Transport to provide for free public transport for children aged 5 to 8 years. Free travel for all children under-five on subsidised public transport services was introduced in 2017, and this new measure now extends that to include children aged between 5 and 8 years of age.

The extension will be introduced next year, with a lead time involved to allow for the necessary technical changes required to facilitate the implementation of this change to child fares. Similar to the previous fare initiatives this measure marks another step towards making sustainable transport a more affordable option for more families.