Mayo Councillor calls for a cheap nationwide travel pass

Mayo Independent Councillor Harry Barrett is calling for a cheap nationwide travel pass similar to an initiative currently in use in Spain.

Councillor Barret said:

"From January 2026, Spain will introduce a simple national travel pass costing €60 a month for adults and €30 for under-26’s. For that price, people will get unlimited travel on state commuter trains, regional rail services and state buses, right across the country. If Spain can do this, then why can’t we.”

He continued, "I am raising this on behalf of ordinary families, students and workers in Mayo who are being crushed by the cost of living. Parents are telling me they are under savage pressure trying to pay for college accommodation and then it is more money again for buses or trains so their sons and daughters can get home.

"In rural Mayo it is even tougher. Public transport is limited and when there is a service, it is often too dear to use every day. People are left with no option only to run a car, and the cost of fuel is breaking households.

“We are a richer country than Spain per head of population, yet our travel costs are higher, and our services are poorer, especially outside the cities. People are fed up paying through the nose just to get from A to B.

"A cheap nationwide travel pass, like the Spanish model, would take real pressure off families, students and rural communities. It would help people get to work or college and home again without being fleeced every week.

"I am calling on the Government to act now and bring forward a simple, affordable national travel pass for Ireland. I'll be placing this as a motion on the council agenda shortly that'll be copied to the Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien.”