Tickets and Travel Cards

CONCESSION PASSES

On presentation of your Half Fare SmartPass you are entitled to 50% off the standard adult single fare on scheduled bus and rail services operating within Northern Ireland.

Are you entitled to a Half Fare SmartPass?

Concession travel is available for people aged between 16 and 64, resident in Northern Ireland for at least the last three months. and who fall into one of the five categories below:

  1. People who have been awarded the higher or lower rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance for a period of at least 12 months.

  2. People who have been refused a driving licence on medical grounds.

  3. People who are registered as partially sighted with a Health and Social Services Trust.

  4. People who are known to a Health and Social Services Trust as having a learning disability.

  5. People who are in receipt of the Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

How to apply for a Half Fare SmartPass

If you believe that you would be entitled to a Half Fare SmartPass you can pick up an application form from Your local Translink Bus or Rail Station or call us on: 028 9066 6630 and we will post you an application.

Carefully complete the application (guide notes are provided within the form) and enclose one recent colour passport-sized photograph. When your application has been approved your new SmartPass will be posted directly to your home. Please note that processing of applications will normally take at least six weeks.

Day Return Tickets for Half-Fare SmartPass Holders

Please note that local Day Return rail tickets are now available for DFI Half-fare SmartPass holders for travel between stations within Northern Ireland only. This means that for the price of an Adult single fare, Half-fare SmartPass holders can purchase a day return ticket – this applies for rail only.

Note that this new option is only available:

  • to Half-fare SmartPass holders (NOT any Free SmartPass holders e.g. 60, Senior, Blind, ROI Senior etc)
  • in rail services only (SmartPass return tickets are not available on bus

60+ SmartPass

If you are aged between 60 and 64 and you are a permanent resident of Northern Ireland (you must have been resident in Northern Ireland for a minimum of 3 months), then you are eligible for a 60 Plus SmartPass. This enables you to be eligible for free travel throughout Northern Ireland.

How to Apply

Application forms can be obtained in the following ways:

  • in person from any manned Translink bus or rail station

  • by telephoning 028 9066 6630 (deaf and hard-of-hearing applicants can use the textphone number 18001 028 9066 6630)

  • by emailing: smartpass@translink.co.uk

60+ SmartPass Holders who will turn 65 shortly

Your 60+ SmartPass is programmed to run out at the end of the calendar month in which you become 65. If you have applied for a Senior SmartPass, it will not be sent to you until near the end of the month in which you become 65.

As free all Ireland and cross-border travel is only available with a Senior (65+) SmartPass, it may be that you have to wait up to three weeks following your 65th birthday before you can claim this benefit.

Please call us on 028 9066 6630 if you have changed your address.

Senior SmartPass

Free travel is available to all Senior Citizens who are 65 years of age or over and who are resident in Northern Ireland (you must have been resident in Northern Ireland for a minimum of 3 months to be eligible).

With a Senior SmartPass you can travel anywhere in Northern Ireland on any Translink bus or rail service completely free of charge. You can also enjoy free cross border travel and internal Republic of Ireland travel.

How to Apply

Application forms can be obtained in the following ways:

  • in person from any manned Translink bus or rail station

  • by telephoning 028 9066 6630 (deaf and hard-of-hearing applicants can use the textphone number 18001 028 9066 6630)

  • by emailing: smartpass@translink.co.uk

Renewing your SmartPass

SmartPasses are only valid for five years. Please check the expiry date on the front of your SmartPass to determine when it will expire as it cannot be used to obtain free travel after this date. Approximately three months before each SmartPass expires the Department for Infrastructure will write to pass holders explaining how to get a new pass. A dedicated user helpline has also been set up on 028 9066 6630 for those seeking further information.

Lost or Stolen Cards

60+, Senior, ROI, War Disabled and Registered Blind Smartpass holders can get a free replacement. To get your replacement pass, visit your local Translink station or call 028 90 66 66 30.

Faulty or Damaged Cards

Detail: 60+, Senior, ROI, War Disabled and Registered Blind Smartpass holders can get a free replacement with a faulty or damaged pass - simply exchange it at a Translink ticket office for a 7 day ‘Faulty Smartpass Receipt’ which will provide them with free travel on buses and trains for a 7 day period during which time a new free replacement pass will be issued. To get your replacement pass, visit your local Translink station or call 028 90 66 66 30.

Useful Links

You can also use the following links to plan a journey, find a timetable, or find more information about accessibility onboard Translink bus and rail services. If you have been unable to find the information you need or have any feedback, you can also contact us;