If you are 60 or over you may be entitled to concessionary travel on bus and railway journeys within Northern Ireland, if you are over 65 your travel pass will also include journeys across the border.

60+SmartPass

• To be eligible you must be aged between 60 and 64 and have been resident in Northern Ireland for a minimum of three months.
• 60+ SmartPasses are not valid on cross border services or on journeys within the Republic of Ireland

Senior (65+) SmartPass

• To be eligible you must be aged 65+ and have been resident in Northern Ireland for a minimum of three months.
• Senior (65+) SmartPasses are valid on cross border bus and rail services and can also be used for free public transport journeys undertaken entirely within the Republic of Ireland

Application forms can be obtained in the following ways:

• in person from any manned Translink bus or rail station
• by phoning 028 9066 6630 (deaf and hard-of-hearing applicants can use the textphone number 18001 9066 6630)
• by emailing: smartpass@translink.co.uk to ask for a form to be posted to you

Further information is available on nidirect – 60+/Senior SmartPass

Cross-border journeys

Your cross-border journey must start on one side of the border and end on the other side.

You can only use one mode of transport, either bus or train for your journey. You cannot combine these and still travel for free.

You must use one through-ticket for your journey. This means, for example, that you can travel for free by train from Belfast to Dublin, as long as the free ticket you got in Belfast railway station clearly states Dublin as your final destination. The same applies when you travel by bus on cross-border journeys.

Will my travel pass cover my fare for travelling on the Luas?

Yes. If you are a holder of a social welfare travel pass (smart pass for Northern Irish holders).Pass holders are permitted to free travel on Luas, we ask that you have your pass on your person at all times as tickets are regularly checked on board trams and you will need to present this if requested. If your pass states that it is a companion pass it is ok for your companion to travel freely with you for your journey. If you have any other questions please contact Luas Customer Care.

Source: https://www.luas.ie/more-information/

See also:

• www.nidirect.gov.uk – Free bus travel and concessions
• BorderPeople/Free Travel Scheme for senior citizens in Ireland
• Transport Operators in the Free Travel Scheme

Page last checked: May 2024

This webpage is for general information purposes only and while we endeavour to keep it up-to-date, errors may occur. It is very important that you check with the relevant body to ensure the information is current and is applicable to your situation.

If you would like to suggest amendments or highlight new information that could be useful to others please don’t hesitate to get in touch.