Figures published by the National Transport Authority show that its 2017 ‘Kids go Free’ campaign resulted in an almost 50% increase in the numbers of kids taking public transport using a Leap Card versus last year’s promotion. Over 640,000 free trips were provided to Leap Card holders between the ages of 4 and 18 from Monday 3rd July to Sunday 16th July. This followed the announcement of the ‘Kids go Free’ promotion last month by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross T.D. and Anne Graham, CEO of the National Transport Authority.
The promotion covered most public transport journeys in the state including:
• All Dublin Bus scheduled services (excluding Airlink)
• All Luas services
• All DART services
• All Commuter Rail services in Dublin’s “Short Hop Zone”
• Bus Éireann services where Leap Card Validators are available. This includes:
o Bus Éireann services in Dublin and surrounding counties (excluding Expressway)
o Bus Éireann services in Cork city, Limerick city, Galway city, and Waterford city
• Ashbourne Connect
Welcoming the announcement, the CEO of the National Transport Authority said: “This is the fourth year of our summertime ‘Kids go Free’ promotion and I am delighted that kids have voted with their feet during this holiday period to make this the most successful to date.
“Young people and families across Ireland have availed of this great deal to enjoy what there is to offer across the network of public transport services covered by Leap. This includes not only the range of cultural, artistic and historic attractions in Dublin but also across Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
“In addition to giving that extra freedom for teenagers to travel during their summer break, the promotion has been successful in getting kids and young people into the habit of using public transport. This is one small but important step in changing attitudes amongst the next generation as we seek to move people to more sustainable forms of transport.
For more information about child leap card, visit www.leapcard.ie
