The National Transport Agency (NTA) has announced that children aged 5 and under get to travel for free on all public transports including Iarnrod Eireann, Luas, Dart, Bus Eireann and Dublin Bus.

The Fare Determination was published today by National Transport Authority’s Chief Executive Anne Graham, and Director of Public Transport Services, Tim Gaston.

The Authority recognises that the cost of travel with a young family can be expensive and today’s move marks another step towards making sustainable transport a more affordable option for more families.

Speaking on the extra free year of travel for children, Anne Graham noted;

"Today’s development will be good news for families, particularly around this time of year as people get geared up for going into town to do Christmas shopping and to see Santa Claus.

“NTA has been taking steps to reduce the cost to families of using public transport since 2014. These include extending child fare eligibility to a person’s 19th birthday, and introducing ‘Kids Go Free’ Leap promotions during the Summer. This is something that we will continue to work on in the years ahead.”

The NTA also announced reductions of up to 46% in fares for city services in the Galway, Cork and Limerick. However, mid-range city services around Dublin will see an increase of about 5%. Short range and long range services for both Dublin Bus and Luas lines will remain untouched.

The NTA advice that "passengers can beat the increase simply by moving to Leap, which will still be cheaper than the current cash fare."

Iarnrod Eireann may also see a slight 1.2% increase in fares for some services.

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