A 33-year-old Dublin man is to appear in court in connection with the sale of fake travel passes which are issued by the Department of Social & Family Affairs to people with special needs.
The passes entitle the holder and an accompanying person to free travel throughout the country on all public transport facilities.
The man has been charged following a joint investigation by the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation in conjunction with Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann, Iarnród Éireann and the Department of Social & Family Affairs.
The fraud was first spotted by Dublin Bus inspectors. It is understood the fake passes were being sold for as little as €20 or €30.
A Garda spokesperson said they were confident that the the source of the fake cards and the distribution network has been dismantled, but there are a number of fake cards still in circulation.
The Garda investigation is continuing with a view to bringing charges against users of those fake cards.
The man who has already been charged will appear before the Dublin District Court on February 10th.
The Department of Social & Family Affairs is currently examining the introduction of a new travel pass card which would make fraud easier to detect.