Calls for immediate change to ‘ridiculous’ rules, leaving people with epilepsy in NI ‘stranded and helpless’

People living with epilepsy in Northern Ireland are being left “stranded and destitute” due to discounted pass rules, it has been claimed.

Northern Ireland has the highest prevalence of epilepsy in the UK, with more than 23,000 people living with the condition.

Many people with epilepsy are unable to drive and rely heavily on public transportation to get to work or simply to complete daily tasks.

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The SmartPass program offers half-fare travel to those who qualify under specific criteria, including individuals whose driver’s license has been denied or whose driver’s license has been revoked for medical reasons such as ‘epilepsy.

But under current rules, people with epilepsy in Northern Ireland must apply for a driving license and receive a refusal, in order to access a discounted travel pass.

Epilepsy Action NI says this is an unnecessary and costly process that people with this condition should not have to go through simply to access a benefit which could go a long way to helping overcome some of the challenges they face in their daily lives due to their illness. .

Ciaran McCarroll, 41, from Ballymena, relies on public transport to get to work and believes the current rules on discount travel need to change now.

He spends a lot of money on public transport and believes that people who cannot drive due to a health problem must jump through hoops to access discounted fares.

“Translink said I had to reapply for a provisional license at a cost of £30 only to have it refused before I was eligible,” Ciaran said.

“It’s just ridiculous. It seems silly to apply for something you don’t need. Some sort of clinical letter should suffice, which is that this person has epilepsy and cannot drive,” he added.

Complications put Joanne Greer, from Mid Ulster, off applying – she gave up altogether: “I gave up because it was too long to get rejected and it was going to cost money to do it.

Joanne believes that the process was not created with people with epilepsy in mind and that there should be an easier way to access the program, such as directly providing a medical letter confirming that you have epilepsy and you can’t drive.

Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland is calling on the Department of Infrastructure to make changes to this system, which applies regardless of whether you have uncontrolled seizures or have lived seizure-free for many years.

Carla Smyth, head of Epilepsy Action for Northern Ireland, said: “The current process is unnecessarily time-consuming and means many people with epilepsy are being left behind.

“They should have the right to access discounted public transport without having to spend time and money applying for a driver’s license and having their license refused.

“What we are calling for are simple changes that could have a huge impact on the daily lives of people with epilepsy in Northern Ireland. We hope the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) will listen to our calls and discuss with us what they can do to remove these unnecessary barriers.

In response, a DfI spokesperson said: “Under the NI Concessional Fares scheme, a half-fare discount is available to people whose driving license has been refused or revoked for medical reasons.

“Following a recent public consultation on changes to eligibility for the scheme, some stakeholders took the opportunity to raise wider issues with the current application processes.

“The minister is currently studying the results of the public consultation and his decision will be confirmed as soon as possible.”

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