OAP travel

Le_Dieux

Apologies if this is in the wrong category - mods feel free to move if required:

I have a Friend from South Africa who also has a British passport. He is coming Here next month, and am wondering is He entitled to free travel on the public transport system? This applies to both here and Northern Ireland, as He has Family up in Coalisland.

Anyone can help or advise me, I would be very grateful

Thanks

Baybay

As far as I know, permanent residency in Ireland is a requirement so obtaining a pass here is unlikely.

Maybe try the Citizens Advice Bureau site in both jurisdictions?

mikedragon32

Travel to C&T

Shifty

I take it you are referring to this:

Pensioners from every country in the world are being offered free travel in Ireland under a government scheme to boost tourism numbers.

http://allirelandtravel.blogspot.com/2010/03/tourists-over-66-get-free-travel-in.html

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/visiting-pensioners-offered-free-travel-2112524.html

I don't know if the scheme is still in operation, I would suggest contacting Fáilte Ireland, I'm sure they will have up to date information.

http://www.failteireland.ie/Information-Centre/Contact-Us

schemingbohemia

I'm fairly sure that scheme was a one-off and is not in operation any more.

ProudDUB

I'm assisting a family member in Canada do the same. I was told (in the tourist office) that as long as she has an Irish PPS number (which she does) she can qualify for the OAP travel pass. For travel in the North, they'd need to contact the Northern Irish Tourist Board as its a different juristiction and different transport system.

Victor

ProudDUB wrote: »

I'm assisting a family member in Canada do the same. I was told (in the tourist office) that as long as she has an Irish PPS number (which she does) she can qualify for the OAP travel pass.

I'm not sure if this is guaranteed. I always understood it to be based on residence.

For travel in the North, they'd need to contact the Northern Irish Tourist Board as its a different juristiction and different transport system.

You need to ask the Department of Social Protection to issue a smart card that is valid in Northern Ireland.

ProudDUB

Victor wrote: »

I'm not sure if this is guaranteed. I always understood it to be based on residence.

Maybe it is, I'm just going on what I was told in the tourist office. I don't think that they get you to prove your country of residence. My cousin in Canada gave her sisters Irish address as her address in Ireland. She said that that would be the address that the pass was posted out to.

The lady in the office told me to put an Irish address on the form, otherwise "it may go in the bin" if it had a Canadian return address on it. Don't know now if she was giving me a way to circumvent the system (which I am not condoning doing btw ) or just a tip to bypass some unneccessary red tape.

She also told me that Dublin Bus have their own separate system for free OAP travel. So if the OP's friend is planning on doing any travel in Dublin, I think he'll need to go in there to get a different pass.

Losty Dublin

From www.welfare.ie. The bold is, I suspect, the most critical element to consider.

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 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.

FAO Prouddub, the tourist office may be well meaning but they shouldn't be issuing inaccurate advice or worse again, information to people to falsely obtain them a pass.

AlekSmart

ProudDUB wrote: »

Maybe it is, I'm just going on what I was told in the tourist office. I don't think that they get you to prove your country of residence. My cousin in Canada gave her sisters Irish address as her address in Ireland. She said that that would be the address that the pass was posted out to.

The lady in the office told me to put an Irish address on the form, otherwise "it may go in the bin" if it had a Canadian return address on it. Don't know now if she was giving me a way to circumvent the system (which I am not condoning doing btw ) or just a tip to bypass some unneccessary red tape.

She also told me that Dublin Bus have their own separate system for free OAP travel. So if the OP's friend is planning on doing any travel in Dublin, I think he'll need to go in there to get a different pass.

Please God,or better still,Joan Burton,give my head peace.

AS poor oul Losty Dublin has managed to demonstrate,the divil is in the detail,particularly what is writ large on the DSP's own documentation....

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

Since the original query from Le_Dieux,the thread has rick o shea'd all over the place....

What many people,including the Failte Ireland staff, appear to be confusing is the 2010 Golden Trekker "Initiative" from Iarnrod Eireann and Tourism Ireland.........

http://www.tourismirelandinfo.com/newsroom/display.php?id=165

It should be noted that from what I can find,Golden Trekker was a time limited promotion and expired on 31st December 2010.

I'm unsure if any stats are available on the success or otherwise of the initiative,but perhaps the fact that it was confined to Iriah Rail services kinds sez it all really...:o

ProudDUB

Losty Dublin wrote: »

From www.welfare.ie. The bold is, I suspect, the most critical element to consider.

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


FAO Prouddub, the tourist office may be well meaning but they shouldn't be issuing inaccurate advice or worse again, information to people to falsely obtain them a pass.

Fair enough so, but I didn't know that it was incorrect advise until I came on here. I was just recounting what I was told. Now that I think about it, it wasn't the tourist office. Even worse, it was the Citizens Information Office on O'Connell St. Seeing as they also gave me wrong info on how to register to vote, I don't think that I'll be going in there again any time soon. :rolleyes: