Ticket payment methods

Leap: Transport for Ireland Adult, Young Adult, Student and Child Leap cards may be used to purchase tickets for travel at discounted Leap fare rates on all Bus Éireann public services. Visit our Leap Card page for further information on applying for and using a Leap card on Bus Éireann services.

TFI Go App: Adult, Young Adult/Student and Child mobile-tickets may now be purchased at discounted fare rates on the Transport for Ireland TFI Go App. Visit our TFI Go page for further information on downloading and using the app.

Cash: is accepted for Adult, Young Adult/Student, Child & Family ticket purchase on-board bus or from ticketing vending machines. To avoid delays, please try to have the exact change to pay for your fare. Card payments may be made at ticket vending machines only.

Online: Adult, Young Adult/Student, Child & Family tickets for selected point-to-point options may be purchased online at the Bus Éireann website. Customers are issued with a warrant, which must be presented to the driver to be exchanged for a valid ticket.

Children

Under 5’s:
Bus Éireann PSO (City, Commuter & Stage Carriage Services): Children under five years of age will be carried for free on City, Commuter and Stage Carriage services, as long as they are accompanied by a responsible person or persons aged 16 years or over in possession of a valid ticket or pass.

Cash Fare: Children under sixteen years of age may avail of Single, Return and 10 Journey tickets at Child fare rates.

Leap Fare: Children under sixteen years of age, who are in possession of a non-personalised Child Leap Card 5 -15 Years and children under nineteen years of age, who are in possession of a Personalised Child Leap Card 16 – 18 Years, may avail of Leap single fares and Leap products at Child rates.

Unaccompanied Children: aged between 5 and 11 years, will be carried on any service, where the journey is less than 30kms in distance, as long as the journey is before 7pm.

In order to travel on any service after 7pm or on any service journey greater than 30kms in distance, children under 12 years of age MUST be accompanied by a responsible person aged 16 years or over Children under 5 years of age must be accompanied by a responsible person or persons aged 16 years or over in possession of a valid ticket or pass on all services, irrespective of distance or time of day.

Where doubt exists as to the eligibility of a child for unaccompanied travel, it is the responsibility of the passenger claiming such eligibility to produce evidence of age

As safety is our main priority, all passengers including unaccompanied children must wear a seatbelt at all times where the service requires it and seatbelts are provided.

Young Adults/Students

Cash Fares: Single, Return and 10-Journey Tickets are issued at discounted student fare rates to young adults and students who qualify as follows:

young adults and students aged 19-25 years, who are in possession of a Young Adult Leap card.
students aged 16-18* and 26 years and above in full-time third level education, including further education and training, who are in possession of a valid Student Leap Card.
students who are in possession of a Translink yLink card.

Please note that ISIC and college ID cards are no longer accepted as valid Student ID for the purchase of concession tickets at student rates.

Student tickets are subject to the same validity conditions as standard tickets.

Leap Tickets: Leap Single, 24 Hour Rolling and 7 Day Rolling products are issued at discounted student Leap fare rates where available on Leap-enabled services, to holders of a Young Adult Leap Card or Student Leap Card.

See leapcard.ie for full details on Young Adult/Student Leap Card eligibility.

Young adults (19-25), students and children in possession of the appropriate Leap Card are now entitled to half-price Leap Single fares on Bus Éireann public services.

*Note: Based on age and student status, third level students aged 16-18 years may qualify for both the Child 16-18 Leap card and the Student Leap Card. For travel on Bus Éireann public services, the recommended card is the Child Leap Card (16-18) as it offers cheaper fares. For travel on Expressway services, the recommended card is the Student Leap Card as it allows the holder to avail of the half-price student online discounted fares. It is possible to apply for both cards on leapcard.ie.

TFI Go App:

Following a successful launch of its new Mobile Ticketing “M Ticketing” App called the “TFI Go App” in 2021, the National Transport Authority has extended the app to all Bus Éireann public (PSO) City, Town, Stage Carriage and Commuter services.Customers may now purchase Adult, Young Adult/Student & Child Single, 2 and 10 Journey tickets on their smart phone prior to boarding all public services:

Key Features of the TFI Go App

1, 2 and 10 Journey tickets available
Selected Zonal tickets now available
Search for a ticket between your route origin and destination.
Zonal tickets are available for Bus Éireann city services in Cork, Limerick, Galway & Waterford and for commuter services in the Greater Dublin Area.
Buy and download tickets directly to your phone.
Save a payment card for faster purchases.
Activate ticket before boarding and just show the driver your ticket.
Tickets valid for 28 days after purchase

Fares

Fares for the TFI Go App tickets are as follows:

Single M-Ticket = Leap Single standard fare
2 Journey M-Ticket = Leap Single x 2
10 Journey M-Ticket = (Leap Single standard fare x 10) or cash 10 Journey fare, whichever offers the best value
Zonal tickets = as priced for corresponding Leap standard fare single tickets and multi-journey products

Combined with the recent launch of the “Leap Top Up App” for iPhone, the launch of the “TFI Go App”, selling Single, 2 Journey and 10 Journey ticket’s, significantly increases the ability of customers to pre purchase tickets before boarding their bus and will reduce the number of on-bus cash ticket sale

Cash/Ticket Vending Machine/Online Tickets:

Single Tickets are valid for one single journey on date of issue as shown by fare paid and/or other details on the ticket.

Return Tickets are valid for one outward and one inward journey only; they are not valid for two journeys in the same direction.

Ordinary Return Tickets (monthly validity) are valid for one outward journey on date of issue as shown by fare paid and/or other details on the ticket, and for return journey for up to one month from date of outward travel.

Day Return Tickets are valid for one outward journey on date of issue as shown by fare paid and/or other details on the ticket, and for return journey on the same day. Passengers who wish to return on another day will NOT be issued with excess fares tickets.

Family Return Tickets, valid as Ordinary Return tickets, are issued to family groups consisting of one or two adults and up to a maximum of 3 children under 16 years of age. Family fares are calculated at twice the ordinary return fare subject to a minimum chargeable fare. Family Return Tickets are not available on cross-border services.

Weekly (10-Journey) Tickets are valid for 10 journeys as specified, and as shown by fare paid and/or other details on the ticket, for a period of seven consecutive days inclusive of date of issue and including Sundays. For example, a Weekly Ticket issued on Tuesday is valid up to and including the following Monday. When a public holiday falls within the period of validity of a 10-Journey ticket, the expiry date is automatically extended by one day without endorsement of ticket.

Where doubt exists as to the eligibility of a child claiming reduced fare travel, it is the responsibility of the passenger claiming such eligibility to produce evidence of age.

In all cases where concession rate tickets are issued on production of the appropriate card or document showing entitlement to the concession, such card or document must be produced for inspection on each occasion on which the ticket is tendered for travel. Where Young Adult/Student/Child ID Cards or other concession entitlement documents are used after the due expiry date, or are transferred to another person, or are fraudulently used in any other manner, they will be confiscated. In such cases the appropriate full fare must be paid for the journey undertaken.

Tickets issued at special reduced return fares, or for special services not listed in the published timetables, are valid in accordance with special conditions as advertised and notified from time to time.

Tickets issued in conjunction with Iarnród Éireann and Dublin bus are, in addition, subject to the Conditions of Carriage of Iarnród Éireann and Dublin Bus.

Conditions of Carriage

Standard Terms and Conditions of Carriage