Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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250. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the promise made at Budget 2022 for half price public transport tickets for those under the age of 23; and if a definitive timeline has been established to implement this. [7854/22]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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254. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the young adult travel card to allow students to use public transport at 50% cost as promised under Budget 2022 will be available; and the application process for the card. [8066/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 250 and 254 together.

In recognition of the importance of incentivising young people to use public transport, as part of Budget 2022 I secured €25m of funding to provide for the introduction of a young adult card (YAC) which will allow any person nationwide who is between 19 and 23 years old, to avail of an entitlement for discounted travel costs, and to increase the level of discount over and above the current student discount to an average of discount of 50% across all services, including city, intercity and rural services. This will not only promote modal shift in the transport sector among this age group but should also contribute towards a reduced reliance on private transport with associated benefit of transport emission savings.

While as Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport, nor decision making on fares; the National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility in this regard. In light of this, the NTA has commenced work in relation to the implementation of the new fares’ structures for young adults, and this includes the application process and establishing a definitive timeline for the introduction of the Scheme. Therefore, I have forwarded the Deputies questions to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.