How to Choose an IBT Centre in Ireland

An IBT centre is an approved site, not just a driving school

An IBT centre is a training site that the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has approved, where an RSA Approved IBT Instructor delivers Initial Basic Training. By law, IBT must be delivered by an approved instructor at an approved centre, and the RSA says training with anyone else does not count and has to be repeated.

For context, the RSA sets the course at 16 hours for the AM and A1 categories and 18 hours for A2 and A, as explained on its page on motorcycle riding lessons. This guide is about picking the centre, not the course. Our directory of IBT centres lists them by county, so you can shortlist two or three and compare them on the points below.

Check the centre and the instructor on the RSA register

Start with the RSA search tool for IBT instructors. You can filter by county and search by name, address, driving school or ADI number, and the same page links to the RSA's PDF list of approved IBT training centres (2025 edition).

Check both the person and the place. The instructor's name should appear in the search, and the centre's name on the list. The RSA says every approved instructor is Garda-vetted and must show you documentation proving current approval. Cork Motorcycle Training, for example, says on its courses page that trainees are invited to check the instructor's ADI permit before a course. Ask for the same wherever you train.

Approval is not permanent. The RSA says instructors renew their permit every two years and centres renew their certificate every two years. A logo on a website is not proof, so check the register on the day you enquire, as the RSA advises.

What to ask about the price

There is no standard fee for IBT. The RSA says each instructor is self-employed and sets their own fees, and it tells learners to contact different instructors to compare fees, arrangements and convenience.

The second question is what the price covers. The RSA's IBT syllabus requires every learner to wear personal protective equipment: helmet, jacket, trousers, boots, gloves, hi-vis and an L-tabard. Some centres include the bike and all of that gear in the fee. Others charge a different rate for training on your own motorcycle. Ask about the logbook too, since the RSA says duplicate logbooks are only issued on payment of a fee.

Here is what four centres publish on their own websites, in alphabetical order, as examples of the detail to look for and not as a ranking:

Cork Motorcycle Training (Cork) sells lessons through an online shop and asks you to phone first to discuss your training and book a session. Its courses page says documents such as licence, permit, insurance and tax are checked before any course.
Galway Motorcycle School (Galway) publishes a price table. Modules 1, 2, 3 and 4 (16 hours) range from €450 on your own motorcycle with two learners per instructor to €600 one-to-one on a school motorcycle. Modules 1, 3 and 5 (18 hours) range from €500 to €700 on the same basis. The page says the prices include school motorcycles, protective clothing and a bike-to-bike radio, and that the school can change prices without notice.
Irish Motorcycle Training (Tallaght and Ballymount, Dublin) says PPE and bikes are supplied and school bikes can be hired for all IBT courses. It publishes prices on a separate page of its site.
O'Neill Motorcycle Training (Partner) (Fairyhouse, Ratoath, Co. Meath) says it supplies the motorcycle, helmet, gloves and jacket, and gives prices by phone or call-back rather than on the page.

Disclosure: Partner marks a business we work with commercially. Ireland Riders is run by Talaso BrandLab, which builds websites for some of them. It is not a ranking, and the centres above are in alphabetical order. How partners work.

One more point from the RSA: paying in advance for more than one lesson limits your ability to switch instructors or change scheduled lessons. If a centre wants the full course paid up front, ask what happens if you need to move dates.

How many learners share one instructor?

Ask for the ratio on the training area and on the road. The RSA's IBT course booklet says that for Module 4 and Module 5, which include on-road riding, the trainer to learner ratio must not exceed 1:2, and the module must be delivered with an in-helmet radio link between trainer and trainees.

Within that limit, centres differ. Galway Motorcycle School says it trains one person at a time unless asked otherwise, and its price table charges more for one-to-one than for two-to-one. Two-to-one is cheaper and still inside the RSA's rule. One-to-one gives you the instructor's full attention. Decide which you want before you compare quotes, so you compare like with like.

Look at the training area

The RSA sets minimum conditions for the site. Its course booklet says the training area must have a smooth, level and durable surface, be free from slip hazards and have a secure perimeter so that pedestrians and vehicles cannot enter during sessions. It must have toilets close by and a suitable room for the theory part of the course. The provider must also hold insurance for the training business and a health and safety statement for the location.

Ask where the off-road training happens and if you can see it, or look for photos on the centre's website. For example, Irish Motorcycle Training mentions compounds in Tallaght and Ballymount, and O'Neill Motorcycle Training describes a yard at Fairyhouse Racecourse with a classroom and a gear room. If a centre cannot tell you where the yard is, keep looking.

Dates and how the modules are organised

Ask how the hours are split across days, and if the days have to be consecutive. The RSA says modules 1 to 4 for AM and A1 must be completed in sequence. Its course booklet adds that each module has a minimum time and that a learner may need to repeat a module to meet the standard before moving on. Ask what a repeat costs before you book.

Centres organise the calendar differently. Galway Motorcycle School recommends sessions of at least three hours, and explains on its FAQ page that each session loses 10 to 15 minutes to gear, intercom set-up and briefing. Irish Motorcycle Training says it runs weekend IBT courses most weeks. O'Neill Motorcycle Training describes IBT as two full days in a row, with weekend and evening sessions. When you ask for dates, also ask who your instructor will be.

Distance and county

You will make several trips, so distance matters more than for a single lesson. A centre 20 minutes away that you can reach on a weekday evening may suit you better than a cheaper one two counties over. Some centres draw from a wide area: Irish Motorcycle Training says it covers Dublin, Kildare and Meath, and O'Neill Motorcycle Training says riders come to Fairyhouse from Meath, Westmeath, Dublin, Kildare and Louth.

If you are in one of the bigger counties, start with our pages for IBT centres in Dublin, IBT centres in Cork and IBT centres in Galway. Each one lists the centres we have on file with a town, a phone number and a website where the centre has one.

Can you change centre partway through?

Yes. The RSA says you can switch from one Approved IBT Instructor to another during your training. Your logbook is the record that moves with you: the RSA says your trainer completes the relevant sections after each module, and it tells learners to keep the logbook safe and bring it on every training day.

We have not found RSA rules on refunds for unused lessons. That is between you and the centre, which is another reason the RSA warns against paying for several lessons in advance. Ask before you pay, and get the answer in writing.

Questions to ask before you book

Is the centre on the RSA list of approved IBT training centres, and under what name?
Who will my instructor be, and does that name appear in the RSA search tool?
What does the price include: bike, helmet, jacket, trousers, boots, gloves, hi-vis?
Is there a different price for training on my own motorcycle?
What is the ratio of learners to instructor on the yard and on the road?
Where is the training area, and can I see it?
How are the hours split across days, and do the days have to be consecutive?
What does it cost if I have to repeat a module?
Do I pay per module or for the whole course up front, and what is the refund policy?

Write the answers down for each centre on your shortlist. Two or three phone calls are usually enough to see which one fits your budget and your diary. You can find centres by county in our IBT centres directory.

Sources

Information checked on 10 November 2026. Centre prices, dates and RSA rules can change, so confirm the details with the centre and on rsa.ie before you book.