In short
- An adult TFI Leap Card costs €10 to start: a €5 deposit plus €5 of credit.
- Leap fares are up to 30% cheaper than cash on TFI services across Ireland.
- TFI 90 lets you change as often as you like for 90 minutes: €2.00 in Dublin, €1.70 in Cork.
- Young adults aged 19 to 25 and students pay about half the adult fare with a personalised card.
The TFI Leap Card is the reusable smart card for public transport in Ireland. You load money on it, tap it on the reader when you board, and pay less than in cash: up to 30% less, plus a 90-minute transfer fare and daily and weekly caps in Dublin and Cork.
What is a TFI Leap Card and how much does it cost?
At the time of writing (September 2026) the card types are:
- Adult: €5 refundable deposit plus a minimum €5 top-up, so €10 to start.
- Child (5–15 and 16–18): €3 deposit plus €5 top-up.
- Young Adult (19–25) and Student: €5 plus €5, personalised with your photo and ordered online only.
- Child (5–8): free of charge, and it gives free travel.
Where can I buy and top up a Leap Card?
Adult and Child (5–15) cards are sold at more than 2,000 TFI Leap agents, including PostPoint shops and all post offices, at some Irish Rail ticket machines in Dublin, and online. Personalised cards (Child 16–18, Young Adult, Student) are available online only.
You can top up in the Leap Top-Up app, at any agent, at Luas and DART ticket machines, or set up Auto Top-Up so the card reloads itself.
How does the TFI 90 minute fare work?
With TFI 90 you pay once and can change as often as you need for 90 minutes, as long as you tap on the last service within 90 minutes of the first.
- Dublin: €2.00 adult, €1.00 young adult / student, €0.65 child. Valid on Dublin Bus, Go-Ahead Ireland city buses, Luas, DART and commuter rail in Zone 1. Short hops cost €1.50. Not valid on Xpresso, Nitelink or commuter buses.
- Cork: since 20 July 2026, €1.70 adult, €0.85 young adult / student, €0.55 child on all TFI Cork city buses.
The National Transport Authority has announced that the Dublin adult TFI 90 fare will rise to €2.30 from January 2027. Full price lists are on the Dublin tickets and Cork tickets pages.
What are the daily and weekly caps?
Fare capping means you never pay more than a set amount in a day or a week. Once you reach the cap, the rest of the period is free, but you must keep tapping on and off.
- Dublin Zone 1: €6.00 a day and €24.00 a week for adults; €3.00 and €12.00 for young adults and students; €1.95 and €7.80 for children. The day runs from 04:30 to 04:29, the week from Monday to Sunday.
- Cork city buses: €5.10 a day and €20.40 a week for adults; €2.55 and €10.20 for young adults and students; €1.65 and €6.60 for children.
In Dublin, Xpresso fares count towards the cap but Nitelink fares do not. The Dublin caps are set to rise to €6.90 a day and €27.60 a week from January 2027.
Who gets discounts or free travel?
- Young adults (19–25) and students pay about 50% of the adult Leap fare on TFI services across Ireland and on selected commercial bus operators. Students aged 16–18 or 26+ in full-time education qualify with a Student Leap Card.
- Children pay child fares up to and including age 18 with a Child Leap Card.
- Children aged 0–4 travel free, and children aged 5–8 travel free with the Child (5–8) card.
- People aged 66 and over who live in Ireland travel free on all TFI services under the Free Travel Scheme, with a Public Services Card marked for free travel.
Where does the Leap Card work in Ireland?
Leap is not only for Dublin. It works on Dublin Bus, Go-Ahead Ireland, Luas, DART and commuter rail, on Bus Éireann city and town services, on TFI Local Link rural buses and on selected commercial buses. Some examples at the time of writing:
- Galway, Limerick and Waterford: city bus single €1.35 with Leap (€1.55 for longer trips), plus 24-hour, 7-day and monthly tickets loaded on the card. See Galway fares and Limerick fares.
- Town services such as Drogheda, Dundalk, Athlone, Sligo, Navan, Carlow and Kilkenny: a flat €1.50 with Leap against €2.00 in cash.
- Cork commuter rail to Cobh and Midleton: from €1.40 with Leap.
- TFI Local Link rural buses: adult single from €1.10 with Leap, depending on distance.
How to use buses.app with your Leap Card
Each Irish city on buses.app has a ticket page with the Leap and cash fares for that city and the date they were checked. Look up your line on the Dublin routes page or plan a trip that combines bus, Luas and DART in the journey planner, then tap your card and go.
