Can you get a free travel pass with a medical card?

WeirdoFreak

I'm a medical card holder and will be starting college soon, unfortunately the college I'm going to has very limited car parking spaces so I will have to use public transport.

I know people on disability allowance are eligible but what about people with medical cards?

I'll be on back to education allowance.

mikemac

No seems to be the answer
Sorry OP

You may be entitled to free travel if you are permanently living in the State and:

You are aged 66 or over
You are getting Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Carer's Allowance or an Invalidity Pension from the Department of Social Protection.

You are in residential care approved by the Health Service Executive and getting Disability Allowance

You have been getting Incapacity Supplement or Workmen's Compensation with Disablement Pension for at least 12 months

You are blind or visually impaired and meet the medical conditions for Blind Pension

You are a specified carer for a person getting Constant Attendance Allowance or Prescribed Relatives Allowance from the Department

You are getting a social security invalidity payment, or similar payment, from another EU member state or from a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement for at least 12 months

You are a widow or widower or a surviving civil partner aged 60 or over whose late spouse/civil partner held a free travel pass and who is getting one of the following payments: State Pension (Transition), Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Partner's (Contributory) Pension, Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Partner's (Non-Contributory) Pension, One-Parent Family Payment, Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Partner's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme or a similar social security pension/benefit from an EU member state or a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement, or an ordinary Garda widow's pension.

Kristopherus

No, you will not get a Free Travel Pass with a Medical Card. You must be on a qualifying payment to get one. BTE does not qualify. Have a look at www.welfare.ie.

WeirdoFreak

That's a bit annoying, I could be on disability allowance if I wanted to, but I don't like the actual stigma of being on disability.

foggy_lad

WeirdoFreak wrote: »

That's a bit annoying, I could be on disability allowance if I wanted to, but I don't like the actual stigma of being on disability.

Remember there is probably more stigma attached to showing a free travel pass and getting your "purple" ticket on the train or no ticket issued for the busses and especially if you are singled out by transport staff and have "special conditions" attached like them demanding photo id when there is no obligation to provide it.

AlekSmart

foggy_lad wrote: »

Remember there is probably more stigma attached to showing a free travel pass and getting your "purple" ticket on the train or no ticket issued for the busses and especially if you are singled out by transport staff and have "special conditions" attached like them demanding photo id when there is no obligation to provide it.

Welcome to the world of C&T,WeirdoFreak......

Do you possess a Blue Badge,Disabled Driver sticker ?,as that may well allow you easier access to Car Parking in your chosen college

Dont mind that Foggy_Lad,there's no stigma whatever attached to using your Free Pass,just ensure that if you have an Urban Address (Check the DSP Website) you also have a Photo ID.

Remember if your an Urban Dweller your Free Pass comprises BOTH.....Cardboard and PhotoID...neither is acceptable on their own.

However if you're a true blue country freak then you can dispense with the fotygraff.

dowlingm

WeirdoFreak wrote: »

That's a bit annoying, I could be on disability allowance if I wanted to, but I don't like the actual stigma of being on disability.

1. If you're not in you can't win
2. Perhaps you should ride LUAS and see all those for whom the stigma doesn't sit heavily on their shoulders?
3. Since the government will likely cut Back To School before Disability as a consequence of the cuts consequent from signing up to Cowen's Danegeld, it might be worth having the more secure payment anyway

L1011

foggy_lad wrote: »

Remember there is probably more stigma attached to showing a free travel pass and getting your "purple" ticket on the train or no ticket issued for the busses and especially if you are singled out by transport staff and have "special conditions" attached like them demanding photo id when there is no obligation to provide it.

Are the monthly, paid-for, tickets issued by IE not purple still?

Aard

AlekSmart wrote: »

Dont mind that Foggy_Lad,there's no stigma whatever attached to using your Free Pass,just ensure that if you have an Urban Address (Check the DSP Website) you also have a Photo ID.

Remember if your an Urban Dweller your Free Pass comprises BOTH.....Cardboard and PhotoID...neither is acceptable on their own.

However if you're a true blue country freak then you can dispense with the fotygraff.

Is there any particular reason for this urban/rural pass requirements divide?

And would a simple way around not having the photo ID be to just tell the conductor/driver that you live down the country? Seems a bit vague...

foggy_lad

Aard wrote: »

Is there any particular reason for this urban/rural pass requirements divide?

And would a simple way around not having the photo ID be to just tell the conductor/driver that you live down the country? Seems a bit vague...

If you live in any of the listed city/town areas it is expected you will avail of more city busses than someone in a more rural setting and the photopass helps in cutting out fraudulent use and in the rural setting it is more likely that many passengers will be known to the different drivers on the more limited number of busses available so fraudulent use would not be such a concern and the requirement to get the photopass unnecessary and for some rural dwellers it would be a great inconvenience as it may require travelling to one of the listed cities which the person may not ordinarily have done.

Aard

A rural dweller can use Dublin Bus without a photo ID then right?

foggy_lad

Aard wrote: »

A rural dweller can use Dublin Bus without a photo ID then right?

Yes but a Dublin dweller can't use the ballyferriter pension day bus without the photopass, to be fair the system dates back to when rural areas had at most one or two busses a day and some areas still have just one or two busses a week so it is considered too difficult for rural dwellers to have to travel to Dublin cork Waterford etc to get the photopass when many were elderly and some had never been outside their own townland/county before.

One example would be when I was a kid in Clane there was only two busses morning and evening, one Dublin to Naas and the other to tullamore.

Now there is a bus every hour Dublin to Edenderry plus more to Tullamore and Robertstown and Kilmeague as well as the original Naas bus. There are also extra busses to Clane during the day so there is a half hourly service to Dublin.

Well you can't get free transport with just a medical card, but getting a student travelcard might soften the blow?