Disabled driving in Ireland: Stuck in a Time Bubble — A 30 Minute Life

This morning I received a message from a friend of mine, who happens to be a disabled driver too, to let me know about the Disability Toll Exemption Schem e for drivers of exempted vehicles in Ireland. This became available in February 2020 and it replaced a very cumbersome scheme where you had to apply to get a special card from one of the many Toll Road operators in Ireland. It involved scanning tax certificates, vehicle registration certificates and possibly a photo too. Now it is a simple online application. Super!!

It isn’t super

But it is not super in all ways. At no stage were disabled drivers informed of this. No letter, e-mail or announcement in a newsletter from an organisation which supports people with disabilities. It had a very silent launch. The reason I learned about it was due to me having to travel, during the pandemic, for a medical appointment (which could have been conducted online). This appointment was in Cork and I had to use the Limerick Bypass. When I presented my Toll Exemption card at the booth, the person questioned my why I didn’t have my certificate on the windscreen?

I asked what certificate, and I was informed I could get it online. When I got home, it was one of the first things I did, after the three day recovery from the journey…