Bus Éireann has issued an urgent reminder that, from 1 March 2026, paper-format Free Travel passes will no longer be accepted on its network. Only the digital Public Services Card (PSC) bearing the Free Travel logo will unlock bus, rail and Luas journeys for the scheme’s 1.1 million eligible users. The operator’s 11 February notice urges customers—particularly retirees aged 66 plus—to check expiry dates and, if necessary, apply for or renew a PSC through MyGovID or at local Intreo centres.
The warning follows last autumn’s rollout of the Free Travel Companion Pass, which allows over-70s to bring a companion free of charge. That benefit also migrates onto the PSC platform.
![Paper travel passes to be phased out: Free-Travel passengers need digital PSC by 1 March]()
While the PSC itself is issued domestically, international assignees and their families often need other documents before they can even begin the application process. VisaHQ’s Irish portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) can arrange visas, passport renewals and related paperwork, smoothing the path for newcomers so they are ready to secure a Free Travel–enabled PSC immediately upon arrival.
The digitisation drive aligns with the Department of Social Protection’s push to eliminate fraud and speed boarding times by using contactless card readers. For corporate mobility teams managing assignees’ dependant parents or elderly secondees, the key takeaway is to verify that any Free Travel beneficiaries in relocation packages hold a valid PSC before the March deadline. Failure to do so could strand travellers or require last-minute out-of-pocket fares.
Transport operators will likewise have clearer data on ridership patterns once paper passes disappear—a step expected to inform future route planning and capacity decisions affecting commuter assignments across Ireland.
The warning follows last autumn’s rollout of the Free Travel Companion Pass, which allows over-70s to bring a companion free of charge. That benefit also migrates onto the PSC platform.
While the PSC itself is issued domestically, international assignees and their families often need other documents before they can even begin the application process. VisaHQ’s Irish portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) can arrange visas, passport renewals and related paperwork, smoothing the path for newcomers so they are ready to secure a Free Travel–enabled PSC immediately upon arrival.
The digitisation drive aligns with the Department of Social Protection’s push to eliminate fraud and speed boarding times by using contactless card readers. For corporate mobility teams managing assignees’ dependant parents or elderly secondees, the key takeaway is to verify that any Free Travel beneficiaries in relocation packages hold a valid PSC before the March deadline. Failure to do so could strand travellers or require last-minute out-of-pocket fares.
Transport operators will likewise have clearer data on ridership patterns once paper passes disappear—a step expected to inform future route planning and capacity decisions affecting commuter assignments across Ireland.
